The Cusack Lab
We study the development of infants in their first year of life. We are based at the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin, and collaborate with maternity hospitals in Dublin and other centres across Ireland. Our expertise and backgrounds range from physics to psychology and neonatology to neuroscience. We use many methods to study infant development, including online tasks and MRI.
Principal Investigator
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Rhodri Cusack, MA (Hons) Cantab, PhD, FTCD
The Thomas Mitchell Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience Director, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience School of Psychology Trinity College Dublin |
Rhodri with son, Calin
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The Team
Postdocs
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Anna Truzzi, PhD
Anna obtained her PhD from the University of Trento (Italy) working on a research in collaboration with the RIKEN Center for Brain Science (Japan) and the Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) which combined developmental and comparative psychology. In the Cusack Lab Anna’s research is focused on combining developmental neuroscience with deep learning methods in order to model how the infants’ brain learns during the first year of life. |
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Graduate Students
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Graham King (PhD Candidate)
Graham is a neonatology specialist registrar doctor (RCPI) who has worked in many neonatal and paediatric departments around Ireland. Graham studied both medicine and engineering in university. He has worked clinically for many years in both paediatrics and neonatology and has also managed to combine his clinical work with medical research. Graham has a keen interest in investigating methods to predict infant neurodevelopmental outcomes, infant brain resilience and infant brain plasticity, and possible future clinical applications of fMRI in neonatology. |
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Clíona O'Doherty (PhD Candidate)
Clíona has just completed her B.A. in Neuroscience from Trinity College Dublin. Having undertaken her final year thesis in the Cusack Lab she is now continuing to research the exciting possibilities of using artificial intelligence to model the brain's complex cognitive processes. Her interests are focussed on deep learning as a tool in neuroscience research, specifically at the crossroads between computer and biological vision. |
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Áine T. Dineen (PhD Candiate)
Áine completed her B.A in Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin (2021). Conducting her capstone project research in the Cusack Lab, she explored ways in which deep learning can be leveraged to test theories of infant visual development. Áine’s current research focuses on using deep learning to develop more robust methods of motion correction for fMRI image reconstruction, with the aim of increasing the amount of usable data that is generated from fMRI scans. In particular, we hope that this research will have benefits for infant fMRI, where around 50% of all data is currently lost due to head motion. |
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Marie Santillo (PhD Candiate)
Marie completed her MSc in Developmental Psychology at Maastricht University in 2021. Wanting to dive deeper into developmental neuroscience and neuroplasticity, she pursued a Research Master in Cognitive Neuroscience at the Donders Institute of Brain, Behavior and Cognition in Nijmegen (2024). For her thesis, she conducted research at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, using machine learning models to predict the impact of shared book reading on neural and cognitive development. |
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Research Assistants
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Tamrin Holloway (Lab Manager, FOUNDCOG Recruitment Coordinator and Research Assistant)
Tamrin completed her MSc in Developmental Psychology at the university of Maastricht in 2016. She joined the lab after working as a teacher and in social services. Tamrin is interested in bridging the gap between Neuroscience research and Clinical Psychology, especially as it relates to human development and learning. |
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Aoibhe De Burca (Research Assistant)
Aoibhe has just completed her B.A. in Psychology and French at Trinity College Dublin (2022). She is currently working as a research assistant on some of the online studies at the Cusack Lab, particularly looking through a cross-cultural lens to improve study recruitment. |
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Katie Herbert (FOUNDCOG Research Assistant)
Katie has just completed her B.Sc. in Psychology at University College Dublin. She is currently working as a research assistant as part of the Cusack Lab. She is particularly interested in child and adolescent psychology and hopes to continue her studies in the coming years. |
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Undergraduate Students
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Cameron Murphy (Psychology, Trinity College Dublin)
Cameron is in her final year of the B.A Psychology program at Trinity College Dublin. She is currently working on her final-year project in the Cusack Lab exploring brain age in infants. |
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Karolina Kucinskaite (Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin)
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Undergraduate Interns
Sophia Ho (Neuroscience, Dual BA program Trinity College and Columbia University)
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Maria Novella Giobbio (Neuroscience, Dual BA program Trinity College and Columbia University)
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Grace Kaprielian (Neuroscience, Dual BA program Trinity College and Columbia University)
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Former Members
Postdocs (Cognitive Neuroscience)
Lorijn Zaadnoordijk (Trinity College Dublin)
Annika Linke (Western University)
Bobby Stojanoski (Western University)
Conor Wild (Western University)
Daniel Mitchell (University of Cambridge)
Alejandro Vicente-Grabovetsky (University of Cambridge)
Jason Taylor (CamCAN, Cambridge)
Postdocs (Neuroimaging methods)
Marta Correia (University of Cambridge)
Ciara Greene (University of Cambridge)
Stefan Hetzer (University of Cambridge)
Daniel Beauregard (University of Cambridge)
Postdocs (Clinical imaging)
Jeff Crukley (Western University)
Jingyun Chen (Western University, with Mark Daley)
Hester Duffy (Western University)
Charlotte Herzmann (Western University)
Leire Zubiaurre-Elorza (Western University)
Visiting Research Fellows
Hiromichi Hagihara (The University of Tokyo)
Programmer
Aya Myhr (Western University)
Lab Managers
Jessica White (FOUNDCOG Recruitment Coordinator and Research Assistant, Trinity College Dublin)
Enna-Louise D'Arcy (FOUNDCOG Recruitment Coordinator and Research Assistant, Trinity College Dublin)
Màiri Gardner (Trinity College Dublin)
Research Assistants
Amy Burke (Trinity College Dublin)
Calum Kyle (Trinity College Dublin)
Keelin Harrison (Trinity College Dublin)
Maebh Healy (Trinity College Dublin)
Nicole McDermott (Trinity College Dublin)
Oscar Markey (Trinity College Dublin)
Anna Birbeck (Trinity College Dublin)
Deborah Ness (Trinity College Dublin)
Michelle Tran (Western University)
Graduate Students
Anna Kravchenko (PhD, Trinity College Dublin)
Chiara Caldinelli (PhD, Trinity College Dublin)
Laura Cabral (PhD, Western University)
Patrick Gatutsi (MSc, Neuroscience, Western University)
Jordynne Ropat (MSc Neuroscience, Western University)
Jacob Matthews (MSc Medical Biophysics, Western University)
Michelle Tran (MSc Neuroscience, Western University)
Annika Linke (PhD University of Cambridge)
Daniel Mitchell (PhD University of Cambridge)
Michele Veldsman (PhD University of Cambridge, with Daniel Mitchell)
Alejandro Vicente-Grabovetsky (PhD University of Cambridge)
Co-Supervised Graduate Students
Sarah Thompson (PhD University of Cambridge, with Bob Carlyon)
Karolina Moutsopoulou (PhD University of Cambridge, with Tom Manly)
Chris Dodds (PhD University of Cambridge, with Tom Manly)
Polly Peers (PhD University of Cambridge, with John Duncan)
Mark Stokes (PhD University of Cambridge, with John Duncan)
Michelle Tran (Western University, Canada)
Visiting Graduate Students
Josué Rico Picó (University of Granada)
Honours students
Amy Burke (Higher Diploma Psychology, Trinity College Dublin)
Maebh Healy (Psychology, Trinity College Dublin)
Thalia Garnett (Psychology, Trinity College Dublin)
Rūta Sevrukaitė (Higher Diploma Psychology, Trinity College Dublin)
Adrienne Mesa Sheehan (Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin)
Maggie O Shea (Psychology Student, Trinity College Dublin)
Alex Graham (Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin)
Emma Hudson (Psychology, Trinity College Dublin)
Emily Markey (Psychology, Trinity College Dublin)
Lauren Travers (Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin)
Aoife Daly (Psychology, Trinity College Dublin)
Anna Birbeck (Psychology, Trinity College Dublin)
Madison Laurel Beaty (Neuroscience, Western University)
Laura Cabral (Psychology, Western University)
Vivek John (Physiology and Pharmacology, Western)
Ronak Patel (Neuroscience, Western University)
Kristen Turner (Western University, Canada)
Angela Westgate (Psychology, Western University)
Mason Kadem (Psychology, Western University)
Kristen Turner (Psychology, Western University)
Joanna Ryan (Psychology, Trinity College Dublin)
Lab Volunteers and Summer Interns
Claire Ambre (Trinity College Dublin and Columbia University)
Anisha Wadhwa (Trinity College Dublin)
Camden Arnold (University of Notre Dame)
Maeve Kelly (Trinity College Dublin)
Oliver Shipston-Sharman (visiting Research Elective from Edinburgh University)
Gwenyth Gasper (University of Notre Dame)
Brenda Finlay (Trinity College Dublin)
Marcus Lo (Western University)
Roni Shanoada (Western University)
Claire Chambers (visting from École Normale Supérieure, Paris)
Lauren Forrest (Schulich School of Medicine, Western University, Canada)
Marcus Lo (Western University, Canada)
Andrew Nicholson (Western University, Canada)
Kim Ramos (visiting from Seton Hall University, NJ)
Lorijn Zaadnoordijk (Trinity College Dublin)
Annika Linke (Western University)
Bobby Stojanoski (Western University)
Conor Wild (Western University)
Daniel Mitchell (University of Cambridge)
Alejandro Vicente-Grabovetsky (University of Cambridge)
Jason Taylor (CamCAN, Cambridge)
Postdocs (Neuroimaging methods)
Marta Correia (University of Cambridge)
Ciara Greene (University of Cambridge)
Stefan Hetzer (University of Cambridge)
Daniel Beauregard (University of Cambridge)
Postdocs (Clinical imaging)
Jeff Crukley (Western University)
Jingyun Chen (Western University, with Mark Daley)
Hester Duffy (Western University)
Charlotte Herzmann (Western University)
Leire Zubiaurre-Elorza (Western University)
Visiting Research Fellows
Hiromichi Hagihara (The University of Tokyo)
Programmer
Aya Myhr (Western University)
Lab Managers
Jessica White (FOUNDCOG Recruitment Coordinator and Research Assistant, Trinity College Dublin)
Enna-Louise D'Arcy (FOUNDCOG Recruitment Coordinator and Research Assistant, Trinity College Dublin)
Màiri Gardner (Trinity College Dublin)
Research Assistants
Amy Burke (Trinity College Dublin)
Calum Kyle (Trinity College Dublin)
Keelin Harrison (Trinity College Dublin)
Maebh Healy (Trinity College Dublin)
Nicole McDermott (Trinity College Dublin)
Oscar Markey (Trinity College Dublin)
Anna Birbeck (Trinity College Dublin)
Deborah Ness (Trinity College Dublin)
Michelle Tran (Western University)
Graduate Students
Anna Kravchenko (PhD, Trinity College Dublin)
Chiara Caldinelli (PhD, Trinity College Dublin)
Laura Cabral (PhD, Western University)
Patrick Gatutsi (MSc, Neuroscience, Western University)
Jordynne Ropat (MSc Neuroscience, Western University)
Jacob Matthews (MSc Medical Biophysics, Western University)
Michelle Tran (MSc Neuroscience, Western University)
Annika Linke (PhD University of Cambridge)
Daniel Mitchell (PhD University of Cambridge)
Michele Veldsman (PhD University of Cambridge, with Daniel Mitchell)
Alejandro Vicente-Grabovetsky (PhD University of Cambridge)
Co-Supervised Graduate Students
Sarah Thompson (PhD University of Cambridge, with Bob Carlyon)
Karolina Moutsopoulou (PhD University of Cambridge, with Tom Manly)
Chris Dodds (PhD University of Cambridge, with Tom Manly)
Polly Peers (PhD University of Cambridge, with John Duncan)
Mark Stokes (PhD University of Cambridge, with John Duncan)
Michelle Tran (Western University, Canada)
Visiting Graduate Students
Josué Rico Picó (University of Granada)
Honours students
Amy Burke (Higher Diploma Psychology, Trinity College Dublin)
Maebh Healy (Psychology, Trinity College Dublin)
Thalia Garnett (Psychology, Trinity College Dublin)
Rūta Sevrukaitė (Higher Diploma Psychology, Trinity College Dublin)
Adrienne Mesa Sheehan (Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin)
Maggie O Shea (Psychology Student, Trinity College Dublin)
Alex Graham (Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin)
Emma Hudson (Psychology, Trinity College Dublin)
Emily Markey (Psychology, Trinity College Dublin)
Lauren Travers (Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin)
Aoife Daly (Psychology, Trinity College Dublin)
Anna Birbeck (Psychology, Trinity College Dublin)
Madison Laurel Beaty (Neuroscience, Western University)
Laura Cabral (Psychology, Western University)
Vivek John (Physiology and Pharmacology, Western)
Ronak Patel (Neuroscience, Western University)
Kristen Turner (Western University, Canada)
Angela Westgate (Psychology, Western University)
Mason Kadem (Psychology, Western University)
Kristen Turner (Psychology, Western University)
Joanna Ryan (Psychology, Trinity College Dublin)
Lab Volunteers and Summer Interns
Claire Ambre (Trinity College Dublin and Columbia University)
Anisha Wadhwa (Trinity College Dublin)
Camden Arnold (University of Notre Dame)
Maeve Kelly (Trinity College Dublin)
Oliver Shipston-Sharman (visiting Research Elective from Edinburgh University)
Gwenyth Gasper (University of Notre Dame)
Brenda Finlay (Trinity College Dublin)
Marcus Lo (Western University)
Roni Shanoada (Western University)
Claire Chambers (visting from École Normale Supérieure, Paris)
Lauren Forrest (Schulich School of Medicine, Western University, Canada)
Marcus Lo (Western University, Canada)
Andrew Nicholson (Western University, Canada)
Kim Ramos (visiting from Seton Hall University, NJ)