Ashleigh Vella

Ashleigh Vella is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), UNSW Sydney. Her research focuses on modifiable risk factors for dementia, machine learning applications, and genetic/environmental influences on aging. She is affiliated with the School of Psychiatry and works with large datasets like the Older Australian Twin Study (OATS) and COSMIC consortium.

Education:

• PhD in Psychology from University of Queensland (2024), investigating decisional mechanisms in self-biased cognition using computational modeling
• Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours, First Class) from UQ (2018), awarded Valedictorian, Henry Law Prize, and University Medal

Research Interests: Combining advanced computational methods with longitudinal data to explore dementia prevention strategies, cognitive aging mechanisms, and the interplay of genetic and environmental factors in neurodegenerative diseases.

Awards & Grants:

• Recipient of UQ Career Development Scholarship
• Secured CPCN Seeding Grant during PhD
• Recognized with multiple academic honors including UQ Living Allowance

Professional Contributions: Served as HDR Representative on UQ Psychology Research Committee. Previously worked as a research assistant in the Perception and Action Lab during undergraduate studies.

Labs/Groups: Active member of CHeBA, collaborating with international consortia like COSMIC to advance dementia research.