Hello
Associate Professor Michelle Downes
Director
About Me
Dr Michelle Downes is an Associate Professor and Ad Astra Fellow in the School of Psychology at UCD. She established the UCD Babylab in 2018 to investigate the impact of disease-related and environmental factors, such as sleep, digital technology, play, and family function, on executive function and learning development in infants and young children. She investigates brain and cognitive development in typically developing children and paediatric patient populations (including ADHD, epilepsy, pre- term, obstructive sleep apnoea, sickle cel disease, Tourette syndrome). She is very interested in the public engagement of developmental neuroscience. In particular, she has co-developed projects such as Beyond My Brain and Beyond Seizures that focused on engaging the public with the developing
brain and the science and stories behind brain-related disorders.
As well as serving as Director of UCD Childhood and Human Development Research Centre (CHiLD-RC) and UCD Babylab she serves as Chair of the Digital Technologies SIG in the Children's Research Network and sits on various external committees including the science committee
of the European Sleep Research Society as Paediatric Representative, Children's Research Network Advisory Committee, and the Psychological Society of Ireland Perinatal and Infant Mental Health SIG.
brain and the science and stories behind brain-related disorders.
As well as serving as Director of UCD Childhood and Human Development Research Centre (CHiLD-RC) and UCD Babylab she serves as Chair of the Digital Technologies SIG in the Children's Research Network and sits on various external committees including the science committee
of the European Sleep Research Society as Paediatric Representative, Children's Research Network Advisory Committee, and the Psychological Society of Ireland Perinatal and Infant Mental Health SIG.