Colleges
Contact information
+44 (0)1865 610 476
Directions to my office at the WIN-Annexe, Wolfson Building
OxCIN-Annexe, Wolfson Building, Headley Way, Headington, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK.
she/her
Research groups
Collaborators
Oxford
Dr Beata Godlewska, Dept. Psychiatry
Dr William Clarke, NDCN
Dr Aaron Hess, NDCN
International
Anouk Schrantee, University of Amsterdam
Dennis Levi, University of California, Berkeley, USA
Jun-Yun Zhang, Peking University, Peking, China
Generously funded by
I. Betina Ip
DPhil
Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellow
- Principal Investigator
- Hugh Price Fellow, Jesus College
I am fascinated by the influence of the environment on brain function. This interaction has been studied in neuroscience through investigating how sensory experience affects visual development. What supports experience dependent learning in early childhood? Can we facilitate learning in adults by understanding neuroplasticity?
My lab attempts to answer such questions using advanced multimodal brain imaging, especially functional MR Spectroscopy (fMRS), behavioural measures and digital technology, including virtual reality.
Ultimately, research in my lab can contribute to a better understanding of how experience makes us who we are, and identify ways to harness cutting edge neuroscience and digital technology to improve health.
About me
I read for my DPhil at St John’s College, Oxford, studying interactions between the cognitive (attentional) and sensory systems. I then worked on fine-scale representations of binocular disparity in the human brain at the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics as a postdoc. In 2020, I was awarded a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellowship and moved to the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences. I joined Jesus College in 2022 as a Hugh Price Fellow in Neuroscience.
Positive Research Culture & Public Engagement
Supporting diverse people to succeed in their academic careers is important to me. I facilitate women’s career advancement as part of the Women in Clinical Neurosciences committee, and I have co-led the WIN Centre's Early Career Researcher's group. I mentor people of colour for the BIPOC STEM network. I have also authored a children's picture book on neuroscience featuring my daughter and myself as an owl.
Current Students
Joshua Briddon, FHS student 2025 Wadham College
Lucy Starling, Doctoral training project student 2024 Linacre College
Rebecca Willis, WIN-NDCN (DPhil student) 2023 Green Templeton College
Sylvana Vilca-Melendez, Dept. Psychiatry (DPhil studentr) 2022 St Hughs College
Lab alumni
Po-Chun Tseng, MSc Clinical and Therapeutic Neuroscience 2024
Dr Jacek Matuszewski, Visiting researcher 2022
Kathleen Tracey, FHS student 2021/22, Wadham College
Amblyopia VR study
Websites
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Amblyopia VR Study
Can we use VR to change vision in amblyopes, and what are the neural mechanisms?
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Koala Study
What are the neural substrates of childhood amblyopia?
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HEROES Study
Can exercise, combined with short time deprivation, change vision in adult amblyopes? Collaboration between CNRS, Paris and The Vision Group, Oxford
Research opportunities
Unversity of Oxford project students
I often have projects for undergraduate and graduate students at the University. Bio/medical sciences undergraduate students can do FHS projects. MSc Neuroscience or CTN students, or DPhil rotation students can do a graduate rotation project. Research projects can involve a variety of brain and behavioural techniques, data collection as well as analysis of existing data. If you are a student at the University of Oxford interested in gaining research skills in my lab, get in touch.
Prospective national and international DPhil students
I welcome expressions of interests from prospective graduate students who want to train in my lab. Please send me a brief motivation, your CV, and information about your research interests. Further information on the DPhil in Clinical Neurosciences can be found here.
Jobs
There are no jobs in my lab at the moment. Postdoctoral and research assistant positions will be advertised here and on the University's job website when they become available.