Lab members
Find out more about our lab members.
Meet the team
Lab directors
Lab Director
Professor Emily Farran
Professor in Developmental Psychology
Biography
I am a Professor of Cognitive Development, at the University of Surrey, UK, where I direct the Cognition, Genes & Developmental Variability Lab. I completed my PhD at the University of Bristol in 2001. I then took on a lectureship position at the University of Reading. I then moved to the UCL Institute of Education in 2008, before joining the University of Surrey in 2018. The broad aim of my research is to characterise typical and atypical development of cognitive functions within the context of the developing brain. This includes a focus on the relationship between spatial thinking and Science and Mathematics achievement. I was awarded the 2024 Impact and Engagement award from the Developmental Psychology section of the British Psychological Society. My research has been funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, the British Academy, the Leverhulme Trust, the Nuffield Foundation, Wellcome, the Education Endowment Foundation, the Waterloo Foundation, Autour des Williams, the Williams Syndrome Foundation, and Fondation Jerome Lejeune.
Lab Co-director
Dr Debbie Gooch
Lecturer in Developmental Psychology
Biography
I completed my undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of York in 2004 followed by an MSc in Reading, Language and Cognition. Since completing my PhD at the University of York (2005-2009) I have held postdoctoral roles on the Wellcome Language and Reading Project at the University of York (2009-2012) and on the Surrey Communication and Language in Education Study (SCALES: project manager 2012-2017) at Royal Holloway/University College London. I joined the University of Surrey as a Lecturer in Developmental Psychology in September 2017.
Current lab members
Affiliate lab member
Dr Katie Gilligan-Lee
Lecturer in Developmental Psychology
Biography
Katie completed an undergraduate degree in Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin (2012) followed by a MPhil in Psychology and Education at the University of Cambridge (2013). She obtained her PhD in Developmental Psychology from University College London (UCL) before joining the University of Surrey as a Lecturer in October 2018.
Emma Campbell
Postgraduate Researcher
Biography
I am in the final year of PhD studies at UCL Institute of Education, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. My studies are supervised by Professor Emily Farran and Dr Emma Sumner (formerly Professor Liz Pellicano) of the Department of Psychology and Human Development, UCL Institute of Education.
I am interested in the proposed link between vision and motor control, and my current research investigates whether visual tracking abilities and the predictive control of eye movements are impaired in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), and whether this relates to their motor difficulties. Working with children aged 5-15, I am in the process of profiling typical and atypical development of oculomotor control as well as assessing motor skills across a range of domains (fine and gross motor, balance etc.). I am interested in how we can encourage children’s development of visuomotor skills for use in everyday life (at school, in the home). In particular, those with DCD struggle with skills that most children find easy (such as throwing and catching). Therefore, based on the findings of my first study, the next step in my PhD is to think about the root of these difficulties and how they can be overcome in everyday life.
My previous work in the lab has included a cross-sectional study looking at the development of mathematical ability in children with cerebral palsy.
Publications
(Critten, V., Campbell, E., Farran, E., & Messer, D. (2018). Visual perception, visual-spatial cognition and mathematics: Associations and predictions in children with cerebral palsy. Research in developmental disabilities, 80, 180-191).
Sarah McCarthy
Postgraduate Researcher
Biography
Sarah is a Postgraduate Researcher at the University of Surrey. Sarah is currently researching how spatial reasoning training can be used with children from low-income backgrounds to support their mathematics understanding. Prior to starting her PhD Sarah was a Research Assistant at Surrey, investigating the use and impact of the Spatial Reasoning Toolkit – a set of resources designed to support practitioners and families in developing children’s spatial reasoning. Sarah also works for the University of Roehampton, as the Co-Investigator for Applied Musicology projects. She is leading a project investigating the development of children's patterning skills in the auditory and visuo-spatial domains. Prior to working in the CoGDEV Lab, Sarah completed her MSc in Psychology (Conversion) at the University of Surrey. Sarah has over 20 years’ experience in marketing and communications gained in the Financial Services sector.
Contact information:
Jovana Durica
Postgraduate Researcher
Biography
Jovana is a Postgraduate Researcher at the University of Surrey. Her research is centred around exploring the relationship between anxiety and reading disorders in adolescents, as well investigating the risk and protective factors for developing anxiety for adolescents with reading difficulties. By gaining valuable insights into the aforementioned topics, Jovana hopes to in the future be able develop an anxiety intervention to help adolescents with reading disorders.
Jovana has been practicing as an educational psychologist for 5+ years and has had extensive experience with children and young people with special educational needs. As such, she is extremely passionate about her thesis topic as she has seen the effects of anxiety in adolescents with reading difficulties first hand, in practice.
Contact information:
Mollie Cooke
Postgraduate Researcher
Biography
I am a first-year PhD student at the University of Surrey, supervised by Dr Jo Moss and Professor Emily Farran and funded by The Cerebra Network. My research aims to better understand predictors of autism in children with rare genetic syndromes, with the goal being to contribute towards more accurate identification of autism within this population.
Prior to beginning my studentship at Surrey, I was a Research Assistant at University College London for two years, assisting on a longitudinal study investigating language development in minimally verbal/non-speaking children. I have a BSc in Psychology and MSc in Clinical Neurodevelopmental Sciences and previously worked within the charitable sector as an advice worker for parent-carers.
Rachel Baxter
Project Manager - Young minds for STEM futures
Biography
Rachel is a Project Manager working with Prof. Emily Farran to increase the awareness of the importance of spatial reasoning in educational practice and policy. She was the Project Officer for the SPAtial Cognition to Enhance mathematical learning (SPACE) programme which investigated the impact of block construction sessions, paired with teacher training, on children’s spatial skills and mathematics competence. Rachel also worked with Dr Anna Cook to evaluate the Autism Central Peer Education programme, commissioned by NHS England and run by a consortium of charities led by the National Autistic Society (NAS). Prior to joining the University of Surrey, Rachel ran projects and held operational and financial roles in the Financial Services Sector. She has a BA (Hons) in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge, a Diploma in Design, Manufacturing and Management and has attained Six Sigma Blackbelt and Chartered Financial Analyst status.
Contact information:
Hailey Tai
Placement Student
Biography
I am a psychology undergraduate at the University of Bath, currently completing my placement year as a research assistant at the University of Surrey under Prof. Emily Farran and other members of the CoGDeV research team on a number of projects centred on exploring children’s spatial and maths abilities. This placement will be a great hands-on opportunity to gain practical quantitative research skills that will become useful in my future career in psychology.
Tilly Walker
Placement Student
Biography
I am a BSc Psychology student at the University of Bath, currently completing my placement year as a research assistant in the CoGDeV lab. I will be working alongside Professor Emily Farran, assisting on a number of projects, mainly centred on the relationship between spatial ability and mathematical achievement in schools. I’m looking forward to gaining valuable practical experience that will be transferrable to my final year of university and a potential career in the field of psychology.
Oliver Piff
Placement Student
Biography
I am a placement year student working as a Research Assistant alongside Dr Debbie Gooch. I will be focusing my research on exploring language disorders in childhood and adolescence. Prior to joining the lab, I have been completing my BSc Psychology at the University of Bath. My previous research experience has been focused on a systematic review of Alzheimer’s neuropathology in primates, as well as qualitative research of LGBTQ+ youth mental health.
Tanchhohangma Limbu
Placement Student
Biography
I am a BSc Psychology student at the University of Surrey, currently undertaking my placement year as a research assistant for Dr Anna Cook in the CoGDeV lab. My main project will be investigating Early Career Teachers’ conceptualisations of neurodiversity. This placement will be a valuable experience for me to advance my practical research skills, allowing me to extend my knowledge into the final year of my undergraduate degree. Additionally, this placement opportunity will allow me to explore my future career prospects in the field of psychology.
