I am a lead investigator on the inter-disciplinary Perinatal Imaging in Partnership with Families (PIPKIN) Study and Brain Imaging for Global Health (BRIGHT) Study. By following families through pregnancy and across the first days and months of life to map brain and cognitive function, I hope to better understand how the world we live in mediates early brain specialisation and behaviour and influences our early developmental trajectories. In particular, I study how our early life may be impacted by poverty associated challenges in the UK and in low and middle income countries such as The Gambia (BRIGHT). I have pioneered the use of functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) in developmental research and now focus on developing field-friendly neuroimaging and behavioural toolkits for use in low income and home settings. In partnership with community informed initiatives, I hope to use our research findings to develop novel early life interventions. In particular, I hope to optimise family-mediated interventions that bridge the transition between pre- to post-natal life; tailored to suit the needs of individual communities in the UK and global health contexts.
