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Public Engagement Ambassadors

FMRIB and OHBA have appointed six Public Engagement Ambassadors to lead and develop public engagement activities in the lab.

In October, we launched our Public Engagement Ambassador scheme and invited FMRIB and OHBA students and staff to apply. We were delighted with a very strong response to the scheme and are happy to announce the six ambassadors for 2017.

PE Ambassador Woods Joseph Woods is an MRI Physics PhD candidate ‎whose interests are currently in improving the accuracy of MRI scans for measuring brain blood flow. He is working with a non-invasive method called arterial spin labelling. Having always enjoyed explaining and discussing physical concepts with friends, family and anyone interested, he jointly organised an exhibition at the 2016 Oxfordshire Science Festival.
PE Ambassador Johnstone

Ainslie Johnstone is a neuroscience PhD student. She studies what happens in our brains when we learn to make new movements, and tries to find ways to enhance this learning. She is particularly interested in how findings from neuroscience could be used in medicine, and enjoys talking about research with adults and children.

PE Ambassador Abeysuriya

Romesh Abeysuriya is a computational neuroscientist developing  mathematical models of brain activity to investigate how the  properties of groups of neurons can give rise to complex brain  activity. He originally studied physics and programming, but  discovered neuroscience was an exciting field in which to apply skills  from these areas.

PE Ambassador Demnitz

Naiara Demnitz is a PhD student investigating the links between physical activity, cognition and the ageing brain. With a background in psychology and cognitive neuroscience, she has long been interested in the brain and now actively engages with the public to share her interest in factors that may promote healthy ageing. 

PE Ambassador Veldsman

Michele Veldsman studies how the brain changes in the presence of damage caused by stroke and dementia. She enjoys sharing her research with the public and getting people of all ages excited about science. 

PE Ambassador Irvine Alex Irvine is a research assistant in cognitive neuroscience, helping to investigate how our memories work to guide our attention over time. He has been involved in several public enagement events, written articles for blogs and an online newspaper, and enjoys bringing new research technology - such as virtual reality - to show members of the public.
PE Ambassador Hinson Emily Hinson is a Psychiatry PhD student interested in novel developments for motor rehabilitation following stroke. Her primary interests involve the use of non-invasive electrical stimulation in chronic stroke in combination with more standard physiotherapy treatments. She has been involved in a number of public engagement events in Oxford and beyond and particularly enjoys working with children and patient groups.