Meet the Team
Principal Investigator
Dr Hana D'Souza
Hana is a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow and Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in the School of Psychology at Cardiff University. She leads the Cardiff Babylab and is also the Deputy Director of the Cardiff University Centre for Human Developmental Science (CUCHDS).
Hobbies: Exploring the Welsh coast and Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog).
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Teodor Nikolov
Teddy is responsible for overseeing the TinyExplorer project and is leading on data analysis, with research interests in anything eye-tracking and vision-related.
Hobbies: Video games, recreational reading, looking at beautiful art and creating (not-so-beautiful) art.
Research Assistant
Lucy Davies
Lucy is the research assistant for the Home project. She is responsible for recruiting participants and supporting families through the study.
Hobbies: Outside of the lab, Lucy enjoys playing her guitar, embroidery and travelling.
PhD Student
Kate Mee
Kate's PhD research uses head-mounted eye-tracking to explore how young children with Down syndrome learn Makaton (signing) through interactions with their parents.
Hobbies: Outside of the lab, Kate enjoys spending time in nature, watching comedy, and playing music.
PhD Student
Sofia Hryniv
Sofia's research explores language development in neurodevelopmental conditions, and the ways in which automated technology can be used to understand language development.
Hobbies: Hiking, reading, and baking. Even better if she can take a snack and a book break in the middle of a hike!
PhD Student
Charlotte Bocchetta
Charlotte is particularly interested in the motor development of young children with Down syndrome and object handling behaviours during parent-child interactions.
Hobbies: She enjoys travelling, experiencing new cultures and foods, baking, and yoga.
PhD Student
Craig Thompson
Craig is a PhD student looking at developing a machine learning model that can efficiently label large datasets to test current developmental theories.
Hobbies: Outside of the lab, Craig enjoys computer science and 3D printing (he has printed his own wearable iron man costume!).
PhD Student
Jean Qin Liu
Jean is interested in parent-child interactions and children's attention, especially in children with Down syndrome. Jean is also interested in the socioemotional and cognitive development of typical children and preterm infants.
Hobbies: Outside of the lab, Jean likes travelling, scuba diving, and playing Mahjong.
Visiting PhD Student
Agatka Koziol
Agata is a 3rd year PhD student at the Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, researching motor development and the role of posture in infancy. We are excited to have Agata visit our lab thanks to the Taith scholarship.
Hobbies: Outside of the lab, Agata enjoys doing handcrafts, especially knitting and sewing.
Trainee Clinical Psychologist
Becky Hardiman
Becky is a Trainee Clinical Psychologist in the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. She is completing research within the team about translating our research into clinical practice.
Hobbies: Outside of the lab, Becky enjoys sunrise sea swimming, cooking and eating tasty things, and exploring the outdoors!
Visiting Postgraduate Student
Jan Matějka
Jan is a Master’s student visiting the Babylab from the Czech Republic, and he completed his bachelors’s thesis on working memory. Jan is particularly interested in language development.
Hobbies: Outside of the lab, Jan enjoys hiking, reading and is learning to play the bass!
UG Placement Student
Andrea Garrido
Andrea is a third-year Psychology Undergraduate student undertaking a placement year at Cardiff Babylab. She is responsible for data collection, social media, and assisting the team where needed for the TinyExplorer project.
Hobbies: Outside of the lab, Andrea enjoys gardening, learning the guitar, and composing songs.
UG Placement Student
Tom Jones
Tom is a third-year Psychology Undergraduate student undertaking a placement year at Cardiff Babylab. He is responsible for data collection, social media, and assisting the team where needed for the TinyExplorer project.
Hobbies: Outside of the lab, Tom enjoys playing rugby and travelling.
UG Placement Student
Charley Bezuidenhout
Charley is a 3rd year psychology undergraduate student undertaking a placement year at Cardiff Babylab. She is responsible for data collection, social media and assisting the team where needed for the TinyExplorer project.
Hobbies: Outside of the lab, Charley enjoys playing running and yoga.
UG Placement Student
Rae-Marie Breakspear
Rae-Marie is a 3rd year psychology undergraduate student undertaking a placement year at Cardiff Babylab. She is responsible for data collection, social media and assisting the team where needed for the TinyExplorer project.
Hobbies: Outside of the lab, Rae-Marie enjoys outside activities, football, basketball, and baking.
UG Placement Student
Sarah Aruliah
Sarah is a 3rd year psychology undergraduate student undertaking a placement year at Cardiff Babylab. She is responsible for data collection, social media and assisting the team where needed for the TinyExplorer project.
Hobbies: Outside of the lab, Sarah enjoys playing the piano and going on nature walks.
UG Placement Student
Sophia Ivackovic
Sophia is a 3rd year psychology undergraduate student undertaking a placement year at Cardiff Babylab. She is responsible for data collection, social media and assisting the team where needed for the TinyExplorer project.
Hobbies: Outside of the lab, Sophia enjoys swimming and travelling.
Alumni
Placement Students
Mike Zye Zhang - MSc Placement Student
(Oct 2023 - Oct 2024)
Lauren Sampson - MSc Placement Student
(June 2024 - September 2024)
Lucy Davies - MSc Placement Student
(May 2024 - August 2024)
Alice Thomas - Psychology UG Placement Student (Oct 2023 - June 2024)
Jayden Wordley - Psychology UG Placement Student
(Oct 2023 - May 2024)
Summer Interns
Leia Khan - Summer Intern
(June 2024 - August 2024)
Rebecca Hendry - LTA Summer Intern
(June 2024 - July 2024)