Penelope Lewis

Professor Penelope Lewis is a leading neuroscientist at Cardiff University's School of Psychology, where she holds the rank of Professor. Her research focuses on the intersection of sleep, memory consolidation, and brain plasticity, with a particular emphasis on 'Sleep Engineering'—methods to manipulate sleep for cognitive and health benefits.

Education:

• BA – Cornell University
• DPhil – University of Oxford

Research Interests:
Professor Lewis investigates how memories are consolidated during sleep and wakefulness, emphasizing:

• Procedural skill reinforcement
• Emotional memory processing
• Episodic to semantic memory transitions
• Sleep engineering techniques

Her work explores how targeted memory reactivation, auditory stimulation, and environmental manipulations during sleep can enhance memory, reduce emotional distress, and combat age-related cognitive decline.

Scientific Contributions:
Her recent publications span high-impact journals such as Neuropsychologia, Communications Biology, Journal of Neuroscience, and Sleep, focusing on REM and NREM sleep mechanisms, memory reactivation, and neuroplasticity.

Students and Supervision:
She currently supervises several PhD students including:

• Mahmoud Eid Abdelhafez Abdellahi
• Imogen Birch
• Holly Kings
• Anne Koopman
• Martyna Rakowska
• Jules Schneider

Collaborations and Funding:
Her research is supported by major funding bodies including the BBSRC, MRC, EPSRC, Wellcome Trust, and DARPA. She collaborates internationally with institutions in Germany, the UK, and beyond.