Biography

I studied Health Psychology at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest before completing my PhD at Paris Descartes University in 2007, where I explored how children with autism develop social and cognitive skills. After receiving the Research in Paris award, I joined the Psychology of Perception Laboratory to study how infants learn to use tools, how the brain develops left–right specialisation, and how babies become aware of their own bodies.

Since 2017, I have been at the University of Portsmouth, where my research continues to focus on infants’ “body know-how” and how this knowledge can inform the design of humanoid robots with a sense of body awareness. Alongside this, I lead projects on children’s wellbeing in schools through mindfulness interventions, and I am currently investigating how schoolchildren learn in museums as unique educational environments. Across all of my work, I aim to understand how humans build awareness of themselves, others, and the world and how this knowledge can be applied to support both children and technology.

Research interests

My current research focuses on four main areas:

• Early development of body and social knowledge: investigating how infants develop awareness of their own bodies and social learning abilities, including how tactile or motor skills training influences cognitive development, and how infants attribute intentions to human and non-human/robotic agents under different contextual and emotional conditions.
• Application of technology in development: using AI to efficiently code infant movement and detect atypical patterns to predict developmental delays or difficulties.
• Interventions to support development: exploring approaches such as mindfulness or cognitive training to enhance prosocial behaviour, cooperation, and overall cognitive and social development in preschoolers.
• Informal and family-supported learning: examining how children learn in museums and how families can be engaged to enhance their children’s informal learning following museum visits.

Teaching responsibilities

I teach across a range of undergraduate modules within the BSc Psychology programme and on the MSc in Health Psychology, where I coordinate the Theories and Intervention Approaches module.

As Associate Head for Global Engagement and Education Partnerships, I support international students from recruitment through to induction and throughout their studies. I also create opportunities for students to study abroad through exchange and mobility programmes. I oversee our dual degree pathway with Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia. Additionally, I work closely with South Hampshire College Group to deliver our DipHE and Level 6 Top-up courses in counselling. I am also responsible for our franchised Psychology and Sport Sciences programmes at overseas partner campuses in Singapore, Malaysia, and Pakistan.