The NeuroPsyence Team

Who are we?

We are an ensemble of three PhD candidates in the Neurosciences and Biomedical Engineering, a Psychology Honours student and a Business guru, attempting to cultivate the ‘need to know’ that is the trademark of good science communication. We are like-minded individuals who share a passion for all things neuroscience and wish to showcase our research to the general public. NeuroPsyence is a collaborative project primarily centred around our NeuroBlog, where we share short articles on various neuroscientific topics. We are also working on building a live resources library, and engaging in other science communication projects on social media. Three of our team members are currently doing research in Canberra, Australia, with our final researcher located in Manchester, England, UK. Our PR person operates from Chennai, India! Make sure to check out the Creator of NeuroPsyence page, to find out more about our creator – Prats, and to understand his research endeavours and the vision behind NeuroPsyence. Keep scrolling down this page to learn more about the rest of the team members. If you have any questions or suggestions, please reach out to us on our socials or via email; excitedneurons@neuropsyence.net.

Aidan Lewis

Bachelor of Science in Psychology (2016-2018) | Honours in Psychology (2019-2020) – First Class | PhD Candidate in Neuroscience

Aidan is a neuroscience PhD candidate at the University of Canberra, investigating the effects of electrical stimulation to the human brain on structural changes in brain vasculature. Aidan has a deep passion for learning and expanding his current knowledge and skills in pharmacokinetics, neuroscience, psychology, biophysics, as well as laboratory expertise. His areas of interest are non-invasive forms of electrical stimulation (tDCS, TMS, tACS, etc.), Alzheimer’s, performance-enhancement in athletes, drug-delivery, and brain parenchyma integrity biomarkers. When Aidan is not conducting his own research, he is a research assistant at the University of Canberra and Miles Morgan Australia (MMA). He is currently working with a research team at the University of Canberra evaluating the efficacy of an online platform to reduce mobile phone use while driving.

Aidan is engaged periodically to undertake research, writing and methodology design tasks for MMA. In 2019, Aidan was a research assistant on MMA’s international literature review on VET quality, one of the most comprehensive international review commissioned by the former Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business. MMA’s outputs from this formed the basis of the draft National Quality Strategy, which were accepted in principle by the Skills Senior Officials Network, representing all jurisdictions. Aidan also contributes to MMA project proposals, having written the methodology for a literature review of the causes of suicide in the building and construction industry in Western Australia. Additionally, in 2021 he assisted with the update of job profiles listed on the Department of Training and Workplace Development website.

Current Research

Aidan is currently investigating the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on the permeability of the blood brain barrier. Further, he aims to validate non-invasive, peripheral methods to measure blood brain barrier integrity. Aidan aims to provide new knowledge on the mechanisms of action of tDCS, and how these novel mechanisms relate to changes in exercise performance. His research may provide a novel intervention for the promotion of drug delivery across the blood brain barrier in the human brain. This has significant implications for those who suffer from neurodegenerative diseases and those who suffer from cancer.

To get in touch with Aidan, connect with him using the icons below.

Samantha Fernandes

Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering (2016 – 2019) – First Class Honours | PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering

Sam is a medical engineering PhD candidate at the University of Manchester and Cancer Research UK, exploring biomaterials and 3D printing techniques to create artificial full thickness human skin models for malignant melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer. Although not a neuroscience field, she explores tissue engineering and regenerative medicine for cancer as part of her research which can be applied in the world of neuroscience to make brain and brain cancer models too!

Sam is extremely passionate about medicine and applying engineering to real world situations, especially the human body. Her areas of interest are investigating advanced biomaterials (biodegradable, non-cytotoxic and printable) for tissue engineering, wound healing, and seeking different strategies for bioprinting organ tissue using hydrogels such as collagen and pectin.

When she is not researching, Sam is also a gradate teaching assistant at the UoM department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering (MACE), and at the University College of Interdisciplinary Learning in Manchester (UCIL), where she helps lecturers design lecture modules, assist students with their coursework and provide them with feedback. Sam also volunteers as a STEM ambassador in the Northwest region of the UK to provide outreach science-based workshops to schools. She has also been recently awarded with the Advanced Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy for her contribution towards collaborative and facilitative teaching, and aims to undertake more teaching and leadership responsibilities to earn the rank of Fellow later this year!

Publications

Fernandes, S., Liu, F., & Bartolo, P. (2019). Plasma-Treated versus Non-Treated Polycaprolactone Scaffolds for Bone Applications using Plasma-Assisted Bioextrusion System. In Proceedings of the 16th Rapid Design, Prototyping & Manufacturing Conference.

To get in touch with Sam, you can connect with her using the icons below.

Jovana Acevska

Bachelor of Science in Psychology (2017-2020) | Honours in Psychology (2021)

Jovana is an international student in Australia, born and raised in North Macedonia. She is currently completing her Honours degree in Psychology at the University of Canberra, investigating the association between menopausal hormone replacement therapy and brain volume. Having completed a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with majors in Biology, Biochemistry, and Genetic Counselling, Jovana hopes to pursue a research career in Neuroscience. Her general areas of interest include neuroendocrinology, molecular neuroscience, neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative conditions, epilepsy and brain cancer research.

Jovana has had the privilege of working on several projects as a student researcher, while being supported by a scholarship from the Australian Capital Territory government health department, ACT Health. In 2019-2020, she was part of a team that investigated several aspects of unmet supportive care needs for women with stage four metastatic breast cancer.

Besides research, Jovana works as a behaviour therapist at The Centre for Positive Behaviour Support (CPBS), and as a clinician at TMS Clinics Australia, where she administers Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation therapy for various mental health conditions. Jovana is passionate about providing tailored support to her clients to help them reach their individual goals, and in late 2021 she will also be undertaking a training pathway towards general psychology registration.

To get in touch with Jovana, connect with her using the icons below.

Neelakantan Salvady Akash

Bachelor of Management Studies in International Business (BMS IB) (2017-2020) | Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance (2021-2023)

Every successful collaborative project needs a strong PR backbone, and for us, that is Akash! Akash is a recent graduate from Jain University in Bangalore, India, where he completed a Bachelor of Management Studies specialised in International Business (BMS IB). Akash will be pursuing an MBA in Finance in late 2021 at Kumaraguru College of Technology Business School (KCT BS) in India, where he is hoping to further develop his strategic thinking and communication skills, gain progressive leadership attributes, and an overall superior understanding of the international business and finance sectors. Akash is interested in finding creative solutions to conflict resolution, team development, enhancing job responsibilities, motivation and productivity, all while being driven by solid data analysis and best practise financial models, according to international business standards.

“Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”
– Public Relations Society of America

Akash is an avid supporter of meaningful science communication and is passionate about disseminating research findings to the general public in a way that increases engagement and understanding of scientific contributions to the every day functioning of humans. Akash is motivated to help NeuroPsyence forge new partnerships and maintain a loyal audience, to aid us achieve our shared mission.

Due to his valuable prior indistry experience in sales and marketing, Akash is now responsible for PR and networking for NeuroPsyence.

To get in touch with Akash, please connect with him using the icons below.