Sophia Shatek

I am currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Attention, Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) group with Gaia Scerif.

I’m currently working on the Attention To Maths (ATOM) project, funded by the Leverhulme Trust. This project investigates how development of attention supports mathematics learning. We are using multiple methods to investigate potential mechanisms of this association, including electroencephalography (EEG), eye-movement, and heart rate data.

One of the key aims of the project is to reach a more diverse sample of children than would typically take part in lab-based neuroimaging experiments. To do this, we are working on developing portable data collection procedures to bring our study to local primary schools.

I joined the University of Oxford in the beginning of 2024 after completing my doctoral thesis at the University of Sydney, Australia, under the supervision of Professor Thomas Carlson. My research focused on object categorisation, combining methods and theories from cognitive neuroscience and developmental psychology. I looked at how developmental heuristics, like the association between aliveness and movement, are still reflected in the decision-making and brain activity of adults. I also worked on setting up a new developmental EEG laboratory, and the first project explored how children’s brains process different categories of objects.