Profile

Profile – Amelia Robson, Northumbria University

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Print This Post

19/05/2024

add comment

This image depicts a young woman with glasses, looking directly at the viewer. She has long hair with a gradient of colours, transitioning from a deep green at the roots to a vibrant turquoise at the tips. She wears a white off-the-shoulder top, complemented by a thin pink strap visible on one shoulder. The background is a soft, uniform teal, which subtly enhances the colours in her hair.

Amelia Robson

Name:

Amelia Robson

Job Title:

Research Assistant

Place of work / study:

Northumbria University

Area of Research:

Dementia with Lewy bodies / Alzheimer’s dementia / sleep and neuroscience

How is your research funded:

NHS / Alzheimer’s Research UK

Tell us a little about yourself:

I graduated with a First-class Honours in Psychology at Northumbria University in 2021, with a dissertation specialised in sleep and Fitbit’s. My dissertation was revised and published as a manuscript, titled: Poor false sleep feedback does not affect pre-sleep cognitive arousal or subjective sleep continuity in healthy sleepers: a pilot study.

After my degree, I was employed as a research assistant working with Dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer’s disease patients. I travel to patient’s homes and apply polysomnography sleep equipment on their face, scalp and body. I also administer over 20 questionnaires and use actigraphy wrist watches with participants. I have been in this role for over 2 years and I want to continue working in psychology research. I won the PSYPAG undergraduate award for my dissertation in 2021, and also had an abstract accepted / presented at the annual European Sleep Research Society conference in Athens, 2022.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself:

You will often find me watching the sunset or stargazing. I have a tattoo of the star constellation Cassiopeia. It was the first constellation I was able to recognise in the night sky.

Why did you choose to work in dementia research?

Dementia is very prevalent in modern society, with the rate of diagnosis only increasing. The disease is not interested in how nice of a person you are, how much you have contributed to the world, if you are rich or poor – it can truly happen to anyone. Knowing that any of my loved ones could eventually suffer with dementia motivates me to contribute to the growing body of research. Preventative methods, earlier diagnosis, and support for both sufferers and caregivers are some of the areas of dementia I am interested in improving. Having the experience of entering someones home, during such a volatile and unpredictable stage in their life, has been an honour. Dementia makes the waves of life very rocky and I want to help calm the storm.

What single piece of advice would you give to an early career researcher?

Always trust your gut instinct to guide you on the right path. I don’t believe you need to have everything figured out at a young age, life is constantly evolving and so are you. Opportunities will arise as long as you put work and effort in to whatever you choose to do.