Biography

Nikki-Anne is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and Associate Investigator at the UNSW Ageing Futures Institute. She is also a passionate science communicator and regular speaker at community and science outreach events.

Nikki-Anne's research focuses on identifying ways to reduce dementia risk and better support those living with dementia. Her work incorporates various aspects of creative and social cognition - including humour, psychological wellbeing, and social engagement - to determine how these processes support cognition as we age. Recent decades have seen us build a comprehensive understanding of individual health and lifestyle factors associated with the risk of developing dementia. However, we also know that individual lifestyle directives regarding eating well and exercise are not always easy or accessible and have the potential to exacerbate health inequities. Nikki-Anne aims to address some of these challenges by incorporating a strengths-based approach which both identifies individual social and psychological factors supporting brain health and how these may be fostered.

She completed her PhD at the Brain and Mind Centre, based at The University of Sydney, for which she was awarded the Rita and John Cornforth Graduate Medal for Research Excellence. 

Nikki-Anne identifies as having a disability.

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