Current Affiliations
- Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) – Graduate member (M10792)
- Environmental Research Institute (ERI, UCC) – Academic member
- Institute for Social Science in the 21st Century (ISS21, UCC) – Ageing Cluster
Academic career
I am currently a Lecturer at the School of Applied Psychology, University College Cork, Ireland, where I teach Research Design and Methods in Psychology at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.
I completed a B.Sc. in Cognitive Psychology and Psychobiology (2007) and a M.Sc. in Clinical Psychology (2009) at the University of Padua (Italy), where I focused my studies on ageing processes (topics ranging from neurodegenerative disorders to place attachment in older age).
I then completed a PhD by Research (Applied Psychology) at University College Cork (UCC), Ireland (2013-2017). Here, I explored geographical variations in cognitive health in ageing using data from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA).
During my PostDoctoral experience, I expanded my research on environments and health/behaviour to investigate the optimisation of health service delivery for older adults (School of Allied Health, University of Limerick, 2018-2019), I also applied my ecological approach to synthesise the evidence on individual and environmental factors of accident risk in young drivers (School of Applied Psychology, University College Cork, 2017, funded by Liberty Insurance DAC), and further developed my work on environmental restoration in younger and older adults as a member of the ACME lab (www.acmelab.science, UCC).
Community work
Across the years, I have been involved in projects to identify environmental resources supporting healthy and independent living in older age both in care and community settings , including:
- Aug-2011/Aug-2012: Volunteering experience at St. Laurence Cheshire Home, Co. Cork (Ireland), promoting mental stimulation and social engagement for adult service users with sensory and physical disabilities;
- Jan-2010/Jul-2011: Project coordinator, Department of Social Protection, Padua, Italy, promoting ageing in place initiatives;
- Dec-2009/Nov-2010: Internship in Psychology at the Istituto di Riposo per Anziani Nursing Home, Padua, Italy, promoting social-environmental support for older people with neurodegenerative conditions;
- Feb-2008/Feb-2009: National Volunteering Service, Department of Social Protection, Padua, Italy, providing homecare and support for disadvantaged young and older individuals.
