Sheila Flanagan

Dr. Sheila Flanagan is an academic researcher affiliated with the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge and a Research Associate at the Centre for Neuroscience in Education since 2012. She serves as Director of Studies in Psychological and Behavioural Sciences and Bye-Fellow of Selwyn College.

• Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology (University of Cambridge)
• MSc in Music Technology (University of York)
• Background in psychoacoustics from engineering experience

Her research focuses on auditory neuroscience, developmental dyslexia, and speech processing through neural entrainment. Key projects include the Botnar project (assisted listening tech for dyslexia), BabyRhythm project (auditory rhythm processing in infants), and studies of temporal sampling theory in speech encoding. Her work combines EEG analysis, motion capture, and computational modeling across neurotypical and atypical populations.

Recent publications highlight trends in decoding speech from neural data, binaural temporal fine structure sensitivity, amplitude rise time processing, and cross-sectional studies of language development in Spanish-speaking contexts. She examines how cortical oscillations track speech rhythms across different modalities (acoustic/visual) and developmental stages.

She collaborates with researchers such as Usha Goswami (PI of lab group), Kanad Mandke, and Áine Ní Choisdealbha. Her methodological expertise includes auditory perception studies, speech enhancement algorithms, and longitudinal neuroimaging.