The MARCS Institute

Do core memories really exist? We asked the experts Some memories fade away, while others stay with us for life. But why can we remember some things and not others? And can you "make" a memory? This is what the experts say.

“Why can’t we remember life before age 4? 🧠 A/P Celia Harris explains the mystery of early memories, identity, and why some childhood moments stick while others fade.

Read the full article: www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...

We’re proud to share a new scoping review published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia - co-authored by MARCS’ own Joyce Siette - mapping the evidence on how social determinants contribute to #dementia risk and progression.

Read the full publication: alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

MARCS is seeking 2 x Postdoctoral Research Fellows in Computational Linguistics to join our multilingualism research team led by Prof Paola Escudero.

📅 Apply by: Wednesday 20 August 2025

📍 Open to candidates across Australia & internationally

👉 Learn more & apply here: lnkd.in/dzHtcJJ3

Tempering Temperament: Exploring the Influence of Maternal Mind‐Mindedness on Infant Temperament in Shaping Socioemotional Wellbeing Although several studies independently explore temperament and parenting, research on connections between temperament and mind-mindedness are largely absent. This study examined relationships between....

Proud to share a new student-led publication in ICIS Infancy based on research conducted at MARCS BabyLab. This project explores how infant temperament and maternal language during play may influence socio-emotional development in early life.

Find it here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Join us in congratulating Dr @drquekles.bsky.social on her promotion to Level C, Senior Lecturer/Senior Research Fellow!

Her promotion is a well-deserved recognition of her research excellence and growing impact in the field of #cognitive_neuroscience.

Learn more about her work: lnkd.in/gNkU6czM

We're proud to share that A/Prof Celia Harris, Vice Chancellor’s Senior Research Fellow in Cognitive Neuroscience, will be speaking at the upcoming Dementia Innovation Conference 2025!

Book your place now: www.innovatedementia.com

#CognitiveNeuroscience #MARCSInstitute #WesternSydneyUniverity

MARCS' Dr Ruth Brookman, alongside A/P Janet Conti, has led a new paper published in BMC Psychology. The study investigates the impact of a video feedback intervention on how women with elevated perinatal depression symptoms navigate their maternal identity.

Read the full paper: lnkd.in/dZj5nvtf

Congratulations to our HDR candidate Florian Burger on receiving the Best Poster Presentation Award at the recent APCV/EPC Conference! His poster titled "From Visual features to Semantic Structure: Tracing Object Dimensions Through Hierarchical Model Layers."
Read the preprint here: lnkd.in/dKqbvpYw

Hey ECRs at @expsyanz.bsky.social this week - if you're interested in object perception and/or neural decoding, come find me for a chat about an upcoming postdoc spot at the @marcsinstitute.bsky.social 👀

a collage of men 's faces and the words that 's a lot of coopers ALT: a collage of men 's faces and the words that 's a lot of coopers

Headed to @expsyanz.bsky.social tonight? Be sure to check out Poster 31 and have a chat with @tvcottier.bsky.social who is asking the quetsion "Are those images of the same person? Dissecting the super-recogniser advantage" #Superrecogniser #faceperception #EPC2025

We're pleased to offer a fully funded PhD scholarship: Understanding the Mastery of Multiple Languages and Dialects: A Computational Approach

🎓 Lead Researcher: Prof. Paola Escudero
📅 Applications close: 30 June 2025

🔗 Full scholarship details: www.westernsydney.edu.au/schools/grs/...

We're pleased to offer a fully funded PhD scholarship: Revealing Universal and Cultural Origins of Music-Induced Emotion.

🎓 Lead Researcher: A/Prof Andrew Milne
📅 Applications close: 30 June, 2025

🔗 Full scholarship details and application instructions: www.westernsydney.edu.au/schools/grs/...

Wonderful to our very own Chris Davis, Jeesun Kim and Daniel Hochstrasser contributing to this epic mutli-lab replication result with a stellar line up of authors! #perception #rhythm #replication #musicscience

Congrats to all of our 2025 HDR Forum participants for another fantastic day of showcasing your research, especially award winners: Sami Arja, @aramirezharo3.bsky.social @oliviamaurice.bsky.social & Mina Aghaei. We may be biased, but our HDR Candidates are the best! #PhD

Our very own Joyce Siette provides some key reasons why you don't need to panic that your cold sores might lead to Alzheimer's Disease - but what you can do is focus on what does keep your brain healthy as you age!

#LanguageDevelopment #Multilingualism #ResearchCollaboration #VisitingScholar #AcademicExchange #MARCSInstitute #Linguistics #WomenInSTEM

🎉 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗦, Dr. Alejandra Pesantez from the University of Zurich! Dr. Alejandra is teaming up with Prof. Paola Escudero to explore how do #bilingual children acquire more #languages 🧠 🗣️ We’re excited to see where this collaboration leads!

#LanguageDevelopment #Multilingualism #ResearchCollaboration #VisitingScholar #AcademicExchange #MARCSInstitute #Linguistics #WomenInSTEM #BilingualChildren #ChildLanguageAcquisition

A forthcoming paper from this multi-year study will report longitudinal changes for cognition, motor function, and wellbeing for the same participants!

Objective demonstration and quantitation of musical learning in older adult novices across a 12-month online study This work aimed to objectively (mainly computationally) measure the extent to which 68 older adult novices developed specific musical abilities. The participants learned aural and keyboard performance...

New paper in @plosone.org from Anthony Chmiel, Roger Dean @katestevartssci.bsky.social Jen Macritchie, from our ARC DP that looked at older adult musical sophistication over 12 months of training & 6 month follow up. Improvisation led to the biggest gains: journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

🤝 #AgedCare research is about people. Our Age Lab team had an incredible time engaging with the local community – listening to their experiences & exchanging ideas about optimising the wellbeing of older Australians. Conversations like these ensure our work truly makes a difference. #ResearchImpact

✨ What if you could step into the past – relive cherished experiences and discover how memory shapes who we are? 🧠 Our #AgeLab team is exploring integrating #technology in #autobiographical #memory research, bridging science & humanity to support memory, wellbeing and even therapeutic applications.

🎈 How can we transform everyday spaces into fun places for children to explore and learn? ✨ A big thank you to everyone who attended the #PlayfulLearningLandscapes conference and contributed to the discussions! Together, we can transform the way children learn and grow – one play idea at a time!

March 13 Workshop Expressions of Interest Hey there! ReachOut is recruiting for a face-to-face workshop! The details of the workshop are: Date: March 13 Time: 10am - 3pm Location: Western Sydney University, Westmead Campus (right next to W...

📣 Looking for young voices! Aged 16-22 and open to sharing your thoughts on mental health? Join ReachOut’s co-design workshop to help shape better support for young people.

📆 13 Mar 2025, 10am – 3pm at WSU Westmead Innovation Quarter | Receive $250 | Apply now: tinyurl.com/ReachOut13Mar

Check out this preprint led by @sabomelinda.bsky.social
which presents the outcomes of her @marcsinstitute.bsky.social visiting scholarship!

We analysed EEG data from 500+ participants to investigate how the brain processes cognitive conflict. #PsychSciSky #neuroskyence

doi.org/10.1101/2025...

🧠 💡 PhD scholarships available! 💡🧠

The CogNeuro group at @marcsinstitute.bsky.social is on the hunt for talented students to work on face and object perception using EEG and neural decoding. Learn more here 👇 and get in touch!

Project 1: shorturl.at/0NwQl
Project 2: shorturl.at/yTdqG

Can you learn a new language using an app? These linguists weigh in Language learning apps are popular, fun and easy to use, but is it possible to master a new language by using them? Two linguists weigh in on the benefits and drawbacks — and what else could help.

Language learning isn’t just for travel - it can boost your career and brainpower too! 🧠📱 But can apps really make you fluent? Explore the pros & cons of digital tools.

Connect & collaborate: www.tinyurl.com/MarkAntoniou

#LanguageLearning #CareerGrowth #BrainHealth #Multilingual

This evening's Anne Cutler Public Lecture on #ActivePlayfulLearning kicked off with a fun, competitive ball toss! 🏐 This activity set the stage for an insightful talk on the power of #play. How can we incorporate meaningful guided play into our everyday environments to help children learn better? ✨

Join us for a Public Lecture by child development and psychology expert, Professor Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, on 'Active Playful Learning: Where the Science of Learning Meets Education.'

📅 6 Feb 2025 | 🕓 4-6pm | 📍 Western Sydney University Westmead campus

🔗 6feb2025publiclecture.eventbrite.com.au

💡 Latest research shows that babies are already learning how sounds are physically produced BEFORE tuning in to their native language.

This discovery challenges previous beliefs and opens up new possibilities for early intervention.

🔗https://tinyurl.com/msx2vw7a

@eylemaltuntas.bsky.social