Maria Gallagher

Dr Maria Gallagher serves as a Lecturer in Cognition and Neuroscience within the School of Psychology at the University of Kent. Her research focuses on vestibular-multisensory integration mechanisms for self-motion perception, with particular emphasis on virtual reality applications and cybersickness mitigation.

Her academic background includes:

• PhD (2019) from Royal Holloway, University of London investigating visuo-vestibular conflicts in Virtual Reality and Cybersickness
• Three-year postdoctoral position at Cardiff University researching audio-visual motion integration during active self-motion

Dr Gallagher's work centers on how vestibular system signals integrate with visual and auditory inputs to create coherent self-motion perception. She investigates how conflicts between these sensory modalities in virtual environments cause cybersickness and aftereffects, aiming to enhance VR technology usability through neurocognitive insights. Her research bridges experimental psychology, neuroscience, and human-computer interaction.

As an educator, she teaches PSYC3000 - Introduction to Psychology Statistics and Practical. Dr Gallagher currently supervises PhD student Emily Perry and actively seeks new supervisees interested in vestibular system research and VR's cognitive impacts. She also serves as Finance Assistant for the Experimental Psychology Society, demonstrating professional engagement beyond her core academic duties.