معرفی
Dr. Alexandra Lautarescu is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at King's College London, working within the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience. She specializes in developmental neuroscience with a focus on perinatal mental health, neurodivergence, and neonatal diffusion MRI. Her research explores the developmental origins of health and disease, particularly examining how maternal prenatal stress affects neonatal brain development.
Dr. Lautarescu joined King's in 2016 as a Research Assistant in the Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre and completed an MRC funded PhD in Developmental Neuroscience in the department of Perinatal Imaging and Health. Prior to this, she obtained an MPhil in Psychiatry from Cambridge and a BSc(Hons) in Psychology from Exeter.
Her research interests center on the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD), Perinatal Mental Health, Neurodivergence, and Neonatal Diffusion MRI. She specializes in open, reproducible and participatory research practices, with significant contributions to understanding how maternal stress and other prenatal factors influence brain development in infants, particularly those at increased likelihood of neurodevelopmental conditions.
Dr. Lautarescu has led several important research initiatives including the European Autism GEnomics Registry (EAGER), the Wellbeing Across Neurotypes: Depression and Anxiety (WANDA) study, and contributes to the Brain Imaging in Babies (BIBS) and Brain Health in Gen2020 teams. Her work often examines the impact of prenatal stress, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, on infant brain development.
She is actively involved in promoting research transparency and reproducibility through various roles:
- Steering Group member of the RIOT Science Club
- Previous Local Network Lead of the UK Reproducibility Network
- Member of the Research & Innovation Committee (RIC) at the IoPPN
- Co-founder of the Open Research Calendar
- Member of the Communications Committee for the Fetal, Infant, and Toddler Neuroimaging Group (FIT'NG)
Dr. Lautarescu's publication record demonstrates consistent contributions to understanding neurodevelopment, particularly in relation to autism spectrum disorders, perinatal mental health, and the effects of prenatal exposures on brain development. Her work spans methodological advancements in neuroimaging, clinical applications, and community-engaged research approaches.
