Livia Tomova

Dr. Livia Tomova is a Lecturer at the School of Psychology, Cardiff University, leading the Developing Social Minds Lab. Her research bridges Social Neuroscience and Developmental Psychology, focusing on how social isolation, loneliness, and digital technology affect adolescent cognition and mental health.

• Academic Roles: Lecturer (Assistant Professor) since 2024; previously held fellowships at Cambridge, MIT, and the University of Maryland.
• Methodologies: fMRI with MVPA, behavioral experiments, and secondary analysis of longitudinal datasets like ABCD.

Research Themes:

• Neural basis of social craving compared to physiological needs
• Stress impacts on self-other distinction and prosocial behavior
• Interactions between social media use and adolescent brain development
• Cognitive effects of acute social isolation in experimental settings

Scientific Recognition:

• Jacobs Foundation Project Grant for Isolationtracker research during the pandemic
• L’Oréal/UNESCO Fellowship for Young Female Scientists
• Erwin Schroedinger Fellowship for transnational research

Collaborations include leadership with Sarah-Jayne Blakemore (Cambridge), Rebecca Saxe (MIT), and networks like the Loneliness and Social Isolation in Mental Health Research Network.