Find a Data Champion

I received my PhD in cognitive neuroscience from Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL). I am currently a Research Associate at the Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge. My interests include data processing and analysis methods for neuroimaging techniques employed in developmental research (fNIRS & EEG). I am interested in the application of these methods for investigating functional connectivity and cognitive processes such as social cognition and language acquisition in infant populations.

I work in cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging, with a strong focus on research data management, reproducible analysis, and open science practices. Before training in cognitive neuroscience, I was educated in computer science and trained as a systems analyst, which continues to shape how I approach research data, workflows, and computational methods. In my current work, I focus on brain imaging data, including data organisation in BIDS (Brain Imaging Data Structure), preprocessing and analysis pipelines, and the development of practical training materials to support researchers in using modern computational tools and adopting good data practices.

I primarily work with large-scale language datasets, using methods from quantitative and computational social sciences, as well as the digital humanities. I also teach associated research methods, like statistics, data wrangling, and visualization. 

Outside my research, I am an active science communicator, primarily via two websites that I author: Effectiviology (https://effectiviology.com/), where I write about psychology and philosophy that have practical applications, and Solving Procrastination (https://solvingprocrastination.com/), where I write about what procrastination is, why we do it, and how to overcome it. 

As a Data Champion, I focus on the use of quantitative and computational methods for working with data (e.g., for data wrangling and statistical analyses). I also deal with associated topics, like maximizing the impact of research through open research and science communication. 

I have over 30 years experience of Scientific Computing. I have worked on Image analysis of Light Microscopy images, Scientific IT Support (13 years), Data-driven web applications of mathematical models and Bioinformatics Training at the Institute of Food Research (Now the Quadram Institute). I have been involved in an EU Framework Database Workshop. I strive to include good data-handling and reproducibility practices into all training materials.