Niamh MacSweeney

Niamh MacSweeney is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Psychology and Adult Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo. Her research focuses on the neurocognitive development of children and adolescents, particularly how genetic, environmental, and psychosocial factors influence brain maturation and mental health outcomes.

Her academic background includes a B.A. (Joint-Hons) in Psychology with English Literature from Trinity College Dublin (2018) and a Ph.D. in Psychiatry from the University of Edinburgh (2023).

• B.A. (Joint-Hons) in Psychology with English Literature – Trinity College Dublin, 2018
• Ph.D. in Psychiatry – University of Edinburgh, 2023

Her research interests lie at the intersection of developmental neuroscience and clinical psychiatry. She investigates structural and functional brain development in adolescence, multimodal brain imaging, neurocognitive trajectories in the context of mental health, and the role of pubertal maturation in shaping psychological outcomes. Her work emphasizes identifying predictors of both positive and negative developmental pathways to foster environments where youth can thrive.

Her recent publications (2022–2025) demonstrate a strong focus on adolescent depression, brain age prediction models, functional connectivity networks, trauma, internalizing symptoms, and the interplay between pubertal development and mental health. Using large longitudinal datasets such as the ABCD Study®, she employs advanced neuroimaging and statistical techniques to uncover biomarkers and risk factors for mental illness during critical developmental windows.

While no formal scientific awards are listed in the provided text, her extensive publication record in high-impact areas underscores her contributions to adolescent mental health research.

Niamh actively engages in research mentoring and collaborative science, particularly through co-production with young people in mental health research. She has contributed methodological guidance for large-scale longitudinal studies and emphasizes ethical and meaningful youth involvement. Although no specific grants are mentioned, her use of major datasets indicates participation in funded research initiatives.

She is a member of a research group at the University of Oslo dedicated to understanding the brain and cognition of children and adolescents, where she contributes to advancing knowledge on how biological and environmental interactions shape mental health trajectories.