Ellen Carroll

PhD Project Title: The Neurocognitive Basis of Goal-directed Behaviour

“PhD Supervisor: Dr Peter Bright

When I started my Psychology degree at Anglia I had no 'Grand Plan', but as I progressed through the course I found that I was becoming increasingly fascinated by the brain and cognition and learning disorders such as autism. In my third year one of my lecturers approached me and asked if I'd thought about postgraduate study.

Since starting my PhD I haven't really looked back. My research project is called 'The Neurocognitive Basis of Goal-directed Behaviour' and looks at exploring what non-verbal intelligence is at both the cognitive level and the neural level. I love my research, but whatever topic you choose, the life experience and skills you gain from doing a PhD are incredible. The support I've received here at Anglia has been great, my research supervisors are available for a quick chat whenever I need them and everyone in the Faculty is so helpful, if I need anything all I need to do is ask!

Part of my role at Anglia also requires me to help out with teaching the undergraduate Psychology courses. At first I found this was a little bit daunting as I'm not much older than some of the students! but the nerves soon disappeared and I've now really grown into my role. Having studied at Anglia myself I found that I could relate to the students, and teaching is now one of the most rewarding things I do. It provides me with lots of opportunity to practice public speaking too, which is really handy for conferences and presentations.

Looking to the future, I hope to make good use of my time here to learn about the brain and cognition. In the long term I'd like to use this knowledge to help people with brain damage, learning difficulties, or mental health problems. Studying at Anglia has opened up so many possibilities that I'm sure will open many doors in my career. I'd recommend studying here as the department is so friendly and supportive and Cambridge is a great city to live and work in.
”