Seralynne Vann

Professor Seralynne Vann is a full Professor in the School of Psychology at Cardiff University, where she leads an internationally recognised research programme investigating the neural substrates of memory, with particular emphasis on diencephalic and retrosplenial contributions to spatial and episodic memory. Her work integrates behavioural, electrophysiological, neuroimaging, and lesion approaches across rodents, non-human primates, and humans.

Education

• BSc Experimental Psychology, University of Sussex
• PhD Neural Systems Underlying Spatial Memory, Cardiff University (MRC Studentship; supervised by Professor John Aggleton)

Research Interests

Prof Vann’s laboratory focuses on understanding how brain networks beyond the hippocampus—especially midbrain and medial diencephalic nuclei, mammillary bodies, anterior thalamus, and retrosplenial cortex—support memory formation and how these processes break down in amnesia and dementia. Employing convergent techniques such as in vivo imaging, immunohistochemistry, targeted lesions, MR imaging, and neuropsychological testing, her group pursues multi-level analyses ranging from single-cell activity to whole-brain networks.

Her recent publications reveal patterns of mammillary body injury in neonatal stroke, volume reductions in schizophrenia, and the electrophysiological signatures of mammillary neurons across sleep–wake cycles, underscoring the translational relevance of basic circuit work.

Scientific Awards & Fellowships

• BBSRC David Phillips Fellowship (2005–2009)
• Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship (offered 2004, declined)
• Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellowship (2011–2018)

Current Funding & Collaborations

• Principal investigator on multiple BBSRC and Wellcome Trust grants totalling >£3 million since 2005.
• Current projects examine retrosplenial cortical contributions to spatial navigation and mammillothalamic pathway integrity in memory disorders.
• Active collaborations with researchers in Copenhagen, and ongoing international partnerships fostered by Cardiff University International Collaboration Seedcorn awards.

Research Group

Prof Vann heads a dynamic team comprising post-doctoral researchers, PhD students, and technical staff. Current members include Dr Beth Coad, Dr Chris Dillingham, Dr Beth Frost, Dr Michal Milczarek, Dr James Perry, and Mrs Heather Phillips. The group benefits from state-of-the-art facilities for in vivo imaging, electrophysiology, and high-field MRI housed within Cardiff University’s School of Psychology.