Researchers

Meet our Research Team!

Dr Helen Nuttall – NoSA Principal Investigator

I am a lecturer in Cognitive Neuroscience in the Department of Psychology at Lancaster University, and I started the Neuroscience of Speech and Action Laboratory in 2016 when I started my lectureship. The lab investigates research questions regarding how speech, action, and cognitive function are represented in the brain. We study how these processes work in health and disease, and also how they are affected by the ageing process. To answer our research questions, we use a variety of methods including Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), electroencephalography (EEG), Magnetic Resonance Imagine (MRI), electromyography (EMG), and behavioural techniques. Prior to joining Lancaster University, I worked as a Leverhulme Trust-funded Postdoctoral Research Associate with Dr Patti Adank and Professor Joe Devlin at University College London. In my PhD, I investigated how speech is represented in the subcortical auditory system using EEG, and how the subcortical representation of speech is modulated by peripheral and cortical influences.
Helen Nuttall | LinkedIn
Helen Nuttall | Twitter

Jessica Pepper – PhD Student

Hi! I’m Jess, a final-year PhD student in the NoSA Lab and am currently on a 1+3 PhD Studentship awarded by the Economic and Social Research Council. My research focuses on the age-related changes in audiovisual integration and how this is reflected in neural activity. Using EEG, TMS and other methods I measure how the cognitive and perceptual mechanisms involved in multisensory integration change with healthy ageing, and the impact that such changes have on everyday tasks like balance maintenance and speech perception.
Jessica Pepper | LinkedIn
Jessica Pepper | Twitter

Brandon O’Hanlon – PhD Student

Hello! I’m Brandon and am currently on a 1+3 PhD Studentship awarded by the Economic and Social Research Council here at the NoSA Laboratory. My project interests are centred around Speech Perception and Multisensory Integration. In particular, how our other senses come to aid our speech and auditory systems in difficult listening conditions, such as sight and movement.
Brandon O’Hanlon | LinkedIn
Brandon O’Hanlon | Twitter

Haydn Farrelly – PhD Student

Hello! I’m Haydn, I’m an ESRC Funded PhD Student split between NoSA and the Aberrant Experience, Awareness & Emotion laboratory. My research focuses on how multisensory integration underpins aberrant perceptual experiences such as hallucinations, I use behavioural methods and multichannel transcranial direct current stimulation (MtDCS) to test this. I’m particularly interested in whether individual differences in cortical hyperexcitability can predict susceptibility to multisensory hallucinations. Through my research I have become an advocate for brain stimulation in neuroscientific research and treatment.
Haydn Farrelly | LinkedIn
Haydn Farrelly | Twitter

Jessica Andrew – PhD Student

Hello! I’m Jessica, a 1st year PhD student at Lancaster University, currently enrolled on an ESRC CASE 1+3 studentship, with Brainbox Ltd as the industrial CASE partner and is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. I completed both my undergraduate degree in Psychology, followed by a Masters degree in Psychological Research Methods at Lancaster University. Now, as part of the NoSA Lab, my research focuses on understanding the effects of sports-related sub-concussive head impacts on brain function in contact sport athletes, with the goal of improving athlete health and safety!
Jessica Andrew | LinkedIn
Jessica Andrew | Twitter

Nez Sharp – PhD Student

Hello! I’m Nez, a PhD student at Lancaster University funded by the EPSRC on a 3.5-year studentship. I completed my undergraduate degree in psychology at Lancaster University, and now, as a PhD student, my research aims to explore if cardiovascular disease has an impact on the brain’s ability to change physiologically. Specifically in the context of hearing aid adjustment. I also conduct research investigating whether certain health characteristics and socioeconomic factors are associated with hearing loss.
Nez Sharp | LinkedIn

John Oyewole – Masters Student

Hello, I’m John Oyewole, a master’s student on a 1+3 PhD studentship awarded by the Economic and Social Research Council, split between the Perception and Action Lab and the NOSA Lab at Lancaster University. My research will use Virtual Reality to investigate affordance perception (action capabilities) in sporting environments. Specifically, I will explore factors influencing how athletes perceive their ability for interception across various sports. Ultimately, my research aims to uncover insights that enhance on-field performance, helping athletes gain that edge over their opponents!
John Oyewole | LinkedIn

Michelle Kan – PEP Student

Hi! I am a Psychology MSc student currently volunteering in the NoSA lab as a research and science communication assistant. I’m passionate about making science and higher education more accessible and bridging the gap between academic research and the wider public!
Michelle Kan | LinkedIn

Maisie Dransfield – Research Assistant

Hello! I am an undergraduate Psychology student at Lancaster University working in the NoSA Lab as a Research Assistant, as well as being a Psychology Ambassador for the University. I really enjoy neuroscience, I am especially interested in the influence drugs and external substances can have on the neurochemistry of the brain! I also am fascinated by forensic psychology and possible correlations between criminal activity and the presence of psychological disorders.
Maisie Dransfield | LinkedIn