PhD Student
Supervisors
Prof Emily Jones (Birkbeck, University of London)
Dr Ming Wai Wan (University of Manchester)
Research Interests
My research interests lie in understanding the factors contributing to developmental outcome in vulnerable populations. I am interested in early brain development and the role of the early social environment in infant developmental trajectories. During my PhD work I aim to better understand the early developmental mechanisms contributing to autism outcome through combining laboratory and parent-child free play interaction measures. In particular, my research focuses on the investigation of the relationship between brain function and parent-infant interaction in infants with a high and low likelihood of autism, and how this association is linked to autism outcome. In order to examine this, I am following a longitudinal design, utilizing data from the British Autism Study of Infant Siblings (BASIS) collected from infants on a broad battery of processed neurocognitive measures of visual attention and functional brain connectivity and linking these to parent-child interaction measures.
My research is ESRC funded by the UBEL-DTP.
Education
MPhil/PhD Psychology
Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck (2019-present)
MSc Psychological Research Methods
Birkbeck, University of London, UK (2017-2018)
MA Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
University of Birmingham, UK (2014-2015)
BA Educational Sciences and Early Childhood Education
University of Patras, Greece (2007-2011)
Research Experience
Masters student
2017-2018 – Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London. Investigating the relationships between brain responses to dynamic eye gaze and quality of parent-infant interaction in infants at-risk for autism. Supervisor: Prof. Emily Jones
Publications
Theta Power at 10 Months of Age Predicts Developmental Change in Language in Infants With and Without an Elevated Likelihood for Autism
A Contextual Approach to Characterizing Caregiver Responsiveness in a Rural Area of The Gambia
Infant Precursors to Autism
Parent-infant interaction dynamics and links to brain function in infants at an elevated likelihood for Autism Spectrum Disorder
Parent–infant interaction trajectories in infants with an elevated likelihood for autism in relation to 3‐year clinical outcome
Conference Presentations / Posters
Papageorgopoulou, E., Jones, J. H., Wan, M. W., & the BASIS team. (2020). Exploring The Links Between Brain Function and Parent-Infant Interaction in Infants at Elevated Likelihood for Autism. Poster presented at the first virtual International Congress of Infant Studies (vICIS), July 6-9, 2020.