Dr. Katie Gilligan-Lee (She/Her)
Lab Director
Katie is an Assistant Professor (Ad Astra Fellow) at the School of Psychology, UCD. Katie completed an undergraduate BA in Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin followed by a MPhil in Psychology and Education at the University of Cambridge. She obtained her PhD in Developmental Psychology from University College London (UCL) on the developmental relations between spatial and mathematical skills in middle childhood. Katie worked as an Assistant Professor at the University of Surrey from October 2018 to 2022. She joined UCD as an Assistant Professor (and Ad Astra Fellow) in January 2023.
Shannon Rosbotham (She/Her)
Research Assistant
Shannon is PhD candidate in the School of Psychology at UCD, where she is supervised by Dr Katie Gilligan-Lee and Dr. Michelle Downes. She completed a BSc in Psychology at Queen’s University Belfast followed by an MSc in Behavioural Neuroscience at UCD. Shannon is intrigued by how environmental factors can induce structural neurological change in the brain and how this can be applied to an educational setting. Her PhD explores differences in the associations between spatial skills and mathematics across children from different socio-economic status backgrounds.
Niamh Gaynor (She/Her)
Trainee Educational Psychologist
Niamh is a doctoral student in UCD's Educational Psychology program, and will be completing her thesis under the supervision of Dr Katie Gilligan-Lee. She holds a BSc in Psychology and MSc in Psychology and Wellbeing, both from Dublin City University, and has experience working with children and adolescents in clinical settings. Her research to date has focused on mind-wandering and its relationship with psychological outcomes.
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Eímear Quinn
Research Assistant
Eímear is a Research Assistant at the CDL Lab, working across several projects in the lab, including the Many Numbers project and the JEDI project. She holds a BSc Psychology from The University of Edinburgh, and a MSc Developmental Psychology from Maastricht University. Eímear has a particular interest in Educational Psychology, the psychological and educational outcomes of the transition between childhood and adolescence, and how environmental factors shape young people’s development. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/eímear-ní-chuinn-b17168214
Hannah McLoughlin
Research Assistant
Hannah is a Master of Psychological Science student at UCD. She joined the CDL Lab in October 2026 as a research assistant, and is completing her master's thesis exploring the development of counterfactual reasoning in children and its links with mathematics under the supervision of Dr Katie Gilligan-Lee. She holds a BSc in Psychology from the University of Galway, and has experience supporting children and young people with disabilities. Hannah's interests include child development, wellbeing, and neuroaffirmative approaches to supporting children and families.
Alison Ahearne (She/Her)
Research Assistant
Alison is a final year BSc Psychology undergraduate student at university College Dublin. She joined the Cognition, Development and Learning Lab as part of her final year dissertation research, which focuses on spatial learning and mathematical problem solving. Alison is highly interested in educational psychology and child development.
Evija Colton
Research Assistant
Evija is an MSc Behavioural Neuroscience student in the School of Psychology at UCD. She completed a BSc in Psychology at UCD, where her undergraduate research explored parental playfulness, executive function, and pretend play in toddlerhood as part of the UCD Babylab’s TEDDY Study. Evija’s research interests centre on cognitive development in childhood, particularly how individual and environmental factors shape children’s learning and development. She is currently joining the Cognition, Development and Learning Lab’s STAMP project, which investigates spatial thinking and mathematical development in children.
Anna Dowling
Research Assistant
Anna joined the CDL Lab as a volunteer research assistant in October 2026. She holds a BEd in Primary Teaching from Maynooth University and has several years’ experience teaching across mainstream and special education settings. She recently completed an MSc in Psychology (Conversion) from The Open University, in which her research explored experiences of growing up with social media during adolescence. Anna has a strong interest in Educational Psychology, particularly child development, learning and wellbeing, and the application of psychological research within educational settings.
Wunmi Popoola
Research Assistant
Wunmi is a Final Year Higher Diploma in Psychology student at UCD and a member of the Cognition, Development and Learning Lab. She holds a BSc in Sociology and Social Policy from UCD and is currently completing her dissertation on spatial environments and home numeracy in preterm and term-born children. She has particular interest in clinical, developmental and educational psychology.
Olivia Pinzaru
Research Assistant
Olivia is a final-year BSc Psychology student at University College Dublin. She joined the Cognition, Development and Learning Lab as part of her dissertation project, which explores spatial interference in mathematics. She has a great passion for child developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, and health psychology.
Past Lab Members
Alexandra Broderick Khan
Research Manager
Alexandra is a research manager at the CDL Lab, working on the Junior Engineer Development Initiative (JEDI) project and research on disability and technology-use. She has completed a BA in psychological studies and philosophy and an MSc in psychology, both at Maynooth University. Alexandra also has experience in educational settings working with children and adolescents. LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-broderick-khan
Hannah O'Gorman (She/Her)
Research Assistant
Hannah O'Gorman is a second year undergraduate Psychology student at UCD. She joined the lab in January 2024 as a research assistant working on the Many Numbers project. Hannah has a special interest in Educational Psychology and has previous experience in both teaching and in special needs assisting.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-g-o-gorman
Jessica Hoskins (She/Her)
Trainee Clinical Psychologist
Jess is a clinical psychology doctorate student at the University of Surrey. Her thesis projects, which Katie is a co-supervisor for, investigate the experience of seeking a diagnosis of ADHD in adulthood, and the mental health outcomes of adults with ADHD.
Beverley Colton (she/her)
Research Assistant
Beverley is a final year BSc Psychology undergraduate student at University College Dublin. She joined the CDL Lab in October 2025 as a research assistant primarily working on the Spatial Thinking and Mathematical Performance (STAMP) project under the supervision of Shannon. She has also contributed to the Junior Engineering Development Initiative (JEDI) project. Beverley’s interests lie in developmental neuropsychology, particularly in early adolescents, as well as in cognitive learning disabilities and neuropathological processes. Connect with Beverley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beverley-colton-03b172294/
Zoe Morris (she/her)
Research Assistant
Zoe is a third-year student in Psychology and Disruptive Technologies
at Dublin City University. Since January 2026, she has been completing
her internship as a Research Assistant at the CDL Lab. During her time
at UCD, she has contributed to the Junior Engineer Development
Initiative (JEDI) under the supervision of Alexandra. Zoe’s
interests are currently centred on child development and UX.
Robert Fortune (He/Him)
Research Assistant
Robert is a third-year BSc Applied Psychology undergraduate student at IADT. He joined the CDL Lab in January 2026 as an intern research assistant, contributing to ongoing projects including the Junior Engineer Development Initiative (JEDI), under the supervision of Alexandra and Shannon. Through his work in the lab, Robert hopes to develop his research skills further and gain hands-on experience in applied psychological research. His interests include childhood learning and development, cognition, and neuropsychology.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-fortune-8b4b1733b?
Andrew Roe (He/Him)
Research Assistant
Andrew is a Research Assistant and MSc student in Behavioural Neuroscience at UCD. He holds a first-class degree in Psychology from Dublin City University. He joined the CDL lab in September 2024 and was the lead researcher on the Spatial Interference and Maths Study (SIMS). More generally, he has an interest in all things Neuropsychology and neuroscience.
Faye Darmanin (She/Her)
Research Assistant
Faye is a primary school teacher from Malta visiting on an Erasmus+ exchange. She has particular interest in Educational Psychology, and also works as an assistant to an Educational Psychologist, aiding in report writing and literacy testing. During her time at the CDL lab she has been working on creating parent resources and coding papers for a meta-analysis on ADHD and mental health.
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Hao Lucy Liu (She/Her)
Postdoctoral Researcher
Lucy Liu (刘好) was a postdoctoral researcher at the Cognition, Development and Learning Lab. Lucy holds a BSc in Psychology from the University of Sheffield, and then moved to the University of Pennsylvania where she earned an MSEd in Human Development. Lucy completed her PhD in Psychology at the University of St Andrews in 2022 and worked as a researcher in China before joining UCD in November 2024. In general, Lucy is interested in how children understand knowledge and ignorance between themself and others. She worked on the SFI sponsored Junior Engineer Development Initiative (JEDI) project. As part of this project she investigated Irish children's perception of engineers, to develop an intervention to promote children's understanding of engineering and engineers.
Tanay Mukerji
Research Assistant
Tanay is a third-year undergraduate student at DCU, pursuing a unique blend of Psychology and Disruptive Technology. He has an interest across various psychological domains, including Educational and Developmental Psychology. In January 2025, he began an internship at the CDL Lab, where he assists in ongoing research projects, gaining practical, hands-on experience. Moreover, he is also fascinated by the world of Biological Psychology and constantly seeks to expand his knowledge and explore how technology can revolutionise our understanding of the human mind.
Conor O'Flaherty (He/Him)
Research Assistant
Conor is a third year psychology undergraduate student from Dublin City University, and was an intern in the CDL lab at University College Dublin. He joined the lab in January of 2025 and assisted with elements of ongoing projects, such as the Spatial Interference and Maths Study (SIMS). His particular interests include cognitive neuropsychology and neuroscience.
Abbie Grace (She/Her)
Research Assistant
Abbie is a third-year psychology student at Boston University with an internship placement at the Cognitive Development and Learning Lab, working on the Junior Engineer Development Initiative (JEDI) and the Spatial Interference and Maths Study (SIMS). Her special interests lie in social and personality psychology.
Lily Abraham (She/Her)
Research Assistant
Lily is a second-year undergraduate psychology student at Colorado State University completing an internship placement with the Cognitive Development and Learning Lab, assisting with multiple projects. Her specified interests include memory and neurodegenerative diseases.