The MARCS Institute
@marcsinstitute.bsky.social
The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development is an interdisciplinary research institute of Western Sydney University.
www.westernsydney.edu.au/marcs
www.westernsydney.edu.au/marcs
Yesterday, our MARCS team proudly delivered a meaningful and insightful symposium on Day 1 of #AAGCONF25, titled: “Inclusion at the centre: Promoting socially connected communities for meaningful ageing" - presenting a diverse range of work dedicated to supporting the wellbeing of older adults.
November 14, 2025 at 6:08 AM
Yesterday, our MARCS team proudly delivered a meaningful and insightful symposium on Day 1 of #AAGCONF25, titled: “Inclusion at the centre: Promoting socially connected communities for meaningful ageing" - presenting a diverse range of work dedicated to supporting the wellbeing of older adults.
Dr Denise Moerel and colleagues' article on how our brains make decisions in competitive settings is out now!
Read the full Conversation article here: theconversation.com/even-in-a-si...
The article published in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience: academic.oup.com/scan/advance...
Read the full Conversation article here: theconversation.com/even-in-a-si...
The article published in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience: academic.oup.com/scan/advance...
Even in a simple game, our brains keep score – and those scores shape every choice we make
Humans are surprisingly bad at being unpredictable.
theconversation.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:22 AM
Dr Denise Moerel and colleagues' article on how our brains make decisions in competitive settings is out now!
Read the full Conversation article here: theconversation.com/even-in-a-si...
The article published in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience: academic.oup.com/scan/advance...
Read the full Conversation article here: theconversation.com/even-in-a-si...
The article published in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience: academic.oup.com/scan/advance...
Applications are now open for the MARCS International Visiting Scholar Program 2026! 🌏
We are pleased to offer scholarships for PhD students and postdocs for visits of 1–3 months before the end of 2026.
📅 Applications close 4 December 2025.
If you are interested, email marcs@westernsydney.edu.au
We are pleased to offer scholarships for PhD students and postdocs for visits of 1–3 months before the end of 2026.
📅 Applications close 4 December 2025.
If you are interested, email marcs@westernsydney.edu.au
November 5, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Applications are now open for the MARCS International Visiting Scholar Program 2026! 🌏
We are pleased to offer scholarships for PhD students and postdocs for visits of 1–3 months before the end of 2026.
📅 Applications close 4 December 2025.
If you are interested, email marcs@westernsydney.edu.au
We are pleased to offer scholarships for PhD students and postdocs for visits of 1–3 months before the end of 2026.
📅 Applications close 4 December 2025.
If you are interested, email marcs@westernsydney.edu.au
🌏 In a dream world, we’d all learn a new language and speak it fluently. Congrats to A/P Mark Antoniou's and team on their new project that aims to uncover the factors behind effective #languagelearning and develop personalised training approaches to help every learner reach their full potential.
October 28, 2025 at 5:38 AM
🌏 In a dream world, we’d all learn a new language and speak it fluently. Congrats to A/P Mark Antoniou's and team on their new project that aims to uncover the factors behind effective #languagelearning and develop personalised training approaches to help every learner reach their full potential.
🧠🗣️ Curious about how your baby learns to talk? Explore the fascinating journey of early language development with A/P Karen Mattock in a free webinar hosted by Playgroup NSW.
📅 Tuesday 4 November
⏲️ 11:30am -12:30pm
📌 Online via Zoom (Free)
Register here: events.humanitix.com/free-online-...
📅 Tuesday 4 November
⏲️ 11:30am -12:30pm
📌 Online via Zoom (Free)
Register here: events.humanitix.com/free-online-...
October 28, 2025 at 2:48 AM
🧠🗣️ Curious about how your baby learns to talk? Explore the fascinating journey of early language development with A/P Karen Mattock in a free webinar hosted by Playgroup NSW.
📅 Tuesday 4 November
⏲️ 11:30am -12:30pm
📌 Online via Zoom (Free)
Register here: events.humanitix.com/free-online-...
📅 Tuesday 4 November
⏲️ 11:30am -12:30pm
📌 Online via Zoom (Free)
Register here: events.humanitix.com/free-online-...
We’re Hiring! Postdoctoral Research Fellow in #DevelopmentalScience
Are you passionate about understanding the origins and development of human analogical reasoning?
View the full position description & apply via: jobs.smartrecruiters.com/WesternSydne...
Applications close: Tue 4 Nov 2025
Are you passionate about understanding the origins and development of human analogical reasoning?
View the full position description & apply via: jobs.smartrecruiters.com/WesternSydne...
Applications close: Tue 4 Nov 2025
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Developmental Science
Company Description: Western Sydney University is a modern, forward-thinking, research-led institution at the heart of Australia’s fastest-growing and most economically significant region. With 11 cam...
jobs.smartrecruiters.com
October 16, 2025 at 4:21 AM
We’re Hiring! Postdoctoral Research Fellow in #DevelopmentalScience
Are you passionate about understanding the origins and development of human analogical reasoning?
View the full position description & apply via: jobs.smartrecruiters.com/WesternSydne...
Applications close: Tue 4 Nov 2025
Are you passionate about understanding the origins and development of human analogical reasoning?
View the full position description & apply via: jobs.smartrecruiters.com/WesternSydne...
Applications close: Tue 4 Nov 2025
“Why can’t we remember life before age 4? 🧠 A/P Celia Harris explains the mystery of early memories, identity, and why some childhood moments stick while others fade.
Read the full article: www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...
Read the full article: www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...
Do core memories really exist? We asked the experts
Some memories fade away, while others stay with us for life. But why can we remember some things and not others? And can you "make" a memory? This is what the experts say.
www.abc.net.au
September 22, 2025 at 1:29 AM
“Why can’t we remember life before age 4? 🧠 A/P Celia Harris explains the mystery of early memories, identity, and why some childhood moments stick while others fade.
Read the full article: www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...
Read the full article: www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...
We’re proud to share a new scoping review published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia - co-authored by MARCS’ own Joyce Siette - mapping the evidence on how social determinants contribute to #dementia risk and progression.
Read the full publication: alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Read the full publication: alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
August 1, 2025 at 4:58 AM
We’re proud to share a new scoping review published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia - co-authored by MARCS’ own Joyce Siette - mapping the evidence on how social determinants contribute to #dementia risk and progression.
Read the full publication: alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Read the full publication: alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
MARCS is seeking 2 x Postdoctoral Research Fellows in Computational Linguistics to join our multilingualism research team led by Prof Paola Escudero.
📅 Apply by: Wednesday 20 August 2025
📍 Open to candidates across Australia & internationally
👉 Learn more & apply here: lnkd.in/dzHtcJJ3
📅 Apply by: Wednesday 20 August 2025
📍 Open to candidates across Australia & internationally
👉 Learn more & apply here: lnkd.in/dzHtcJJ3
August 1, 2025 at 4:44 AM
MARCS is seeking 2 x Postdoctoral Research Fellows in Computational Linguistics to join our multilingualism research team led by Prof Paola Escudero.
📅 Apply by: Wednesday 20 August 2025
📍 Open to candidates across Australia & internationally
👉 Learn more & apply here: lnkd.in/dzHtcJJ3
📅 Apply by: Wednesday 20 August 2025
📍 Open to candidates across Australia & internationally
👉 Learn more & apply here: lnkd.in/dzHtcJJ3
Proud to share a new student-led publication in ICIS Infancy based on research conducted at MARCS BabyLab. This project explores how infant temperament and maternal language during play may influence socio-emotional development in early life.
Find it here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Find it here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Tempering Temperament: Exploring the Influence of Maternal Mind‐Mindedness on Infant Temperament in Shaping Socioemotional Wellbeing
Although several studies independently explore temperament and parenting, research on connections between temperament and mind-mindedness are largely absent. This study examined relationships between....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
July 31, 2025 at 6:18 AM
Proud to share a new student-led publication in ICIS Infancy based on research conducted at MARCS BabyLab. This project explores how infant temperament and maternal language during play may influence socio-emotional development in early life.
Find it here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Find it here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Join us in congratulating Dr @drquekles.bsky.social on her promotion to Level C, Senior Lecturer/Senior Research Fellow!
Her promotion is a well-deserved recognition of her research excellence and growing impact in the field of #cognitive_neuroscience.
Learn more about her work: lnkd.in/gNkU6czM
Her promotion is a well-deserved recognition of her research excellence and growing impact in the field of #cognitive_neuroscience.
Learn more about her work: lnkd.in/gNkU6czM
July 31, 2025 at 6:14 AM
Join us in congratulating Dr @drquekles.bsky.social on her promotion to Level C, Senior Lecturer/Senior Research Fellow!
Her promotion is a well-deserved recognition of her research excellence and growing impact in the field of #cognitive_neuroscience.
Learn more about her work: lnkd.in/gNkU6czM
Her promotion is a well-deserved recognition of her research excellence and growing impact in the field of #cognitive_neuroscience.
Learn more about her work: lnkd.in/gNkU6czM
We're proud to share that A/Prof Celia Harris, Vice Chancellor’s Senior Research Fellow in Cognitive Neuroscience, will be speaking at the upcoming Dementia Innovation Conference 2025!
Book your place now: www.innovatedementia.com
#CognitiveNeuroscience #MARCSInstitute #WesternSydneyUniverity
Book your place now: www.innovatedementia.com
#CognitiveNeuroscience #MARCSInstitute #WesternSydneyUniverity
Home | Dementia Innovation
International Dementia Conference providing a platform for academics, government oifficials, students and service providers to showcase their studies, research and achievements in dementia innovation ...
www.innovatedementia.com
July 22, 2025 at 12:52 AM
We're proud to share that A/Prof Celia Harris, Vice Chancellor’s Senior Research Fellow in Cognitive Neuroscience, will be speaking at the upcoming Dementia Innovation Conference 2025!
Book your place now: www.innovatedementia.com
#CognitiveNeuroscience #MARCSInstitute #WesternSydneyUniverity
Book your place now: www.innovatedementia.com
#CognitiveNeuroscience #MARCSInstitute #WesternSydneyUniverity
MARCS' Dr Ruth Brookman, alongside A/P Janet Conti, has led a new paper published in BMC Psychology. The study investigates the impact of a video feedback intervention on how women with elevated perinatal depression symptoms navigate their maternal identity.
Read the full paper: lnkd.in/dZj5nvtf
Read the full paper: lnkd.in/dZj5nvtf
July 8, 2025 at 11:52 PM
MARCS' Dr Ruth Brookman, alongside A/P Janet Conti, has led a new paper published in BMC Psychology. The study investigates the impact of a video feedback intervention on how women with elevated perinatal depression symptoms navigate their maternal identity.
Read the full paper: lnkd.in/dZj5nvtf
Read the full paper: lnkd.in/dZj5nvtf
Congratulations to our HDR candidate Florian Burger on receiving the Best Poster Presentation Award at the recent APCV/EPC Conference! His poster titled "From Visual features to Semantic Structure: Tracing Object Dimensions Through Hierarchical Model Layers."
Read the preprint here: lnkd.in/dKqbvpYw
Read the preprint here: lnkd.in/dKqbvpYw
June 23, 2025 at 3:55 AM
Congratulations to our HDR candidate Florian Burger on receiving the Best Poster Presentation Award at the recent APCV/EPC Conference! His poster titled "From Visual features to Semantic Structure: Tracing Object Dimensions Through Hierarchical Model Layers."
Read the preprint here: lnkd.in/dKqbvpYw
Read the preprint here: lnkd.in/dKqbvpYw
Reposted by The MARCS Institute
Hey ECRs at @expsyanz.bsky.social this week - if you're interested in object perception and/or neural decoding, come find me for a chat about an upcoming postdoc spot at the @marcsinstitute.bsky.social 👀
June 18, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Hey ECRs at @expsyanz.bsky.social this week - if you're interested in object perception and/or neural decoding, come find me for a chat about an upcoming postdoc spot at the @marcsinstitute.bsky.social 👀
Headed to @expsyanz.bsky.social tonight? Be sure to check out Poster 31 and have a chat with @tvcottier.bsky.social who is asking the quetsion "Are those images of the same person? Dissecting the super-recogniser advantage" #Superrecogniser #faceperception #EPC2025
a collage of men 's faces and the words that 's a lot of coopers
ALT: a collage of men 's faces and the words that 's a lot of coopers
media.tenor.com
June 17, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Headed to @expsyanz.bsky.social tonight? Be sure to check out Poster 31 and have a chat with @tvcottier.bsky.social who is asking the quetsion "Are those images of the same person? Dissecting the super-recogniser advantage" #Superrecogniser #faceperception #EPC2025
We're pleased to offer a fully funded PhD scholarship: Understanding the Mastery of Multiple Languages and Dialects: A Computational Approach
🎓 Lead Researcher: Prof. Paola Escudero
📅 Applications close: 30 June 2025
🔗 Full scholarship details: www.westernsydney.edu.au/schools/grs/...
🎓 Lead Researcher: Prof. Paola Escudero
📅 Applications close: 30 June 2025
🔗 Full scholarship details: www.westernsydney.edu.au/schools/grs/...
Understanding the Mastery of Multiple Languages and Dialects: A Computational Approach | Western Sydney University
www.westernsydney.edu.au
June 12, 2025 at 5:35 AM
We're pleased to offer a fully funded PhD scholarship: Understanding the Mastery of Multiple Languages and Dialects: A Computational Approach
🎓 Lead Researcher: Prof. Paola Escudero
📅 Applications close: 30 June 2025
🔗 Full scholarship details: www.westernsydney.edu.au/schools/grs/...
🎓 Lead Researcher: Prof. Paola Escudero
📅 Applications close: 30 June 2025
🔗 Full scholarship details: www.westernsydney.edu.au/schools/grs/...
We're pleased to offer a fully funded PhD scholarship: Revealing Universal and Cultural Origins of Music-Induced Emotion.
🎓 Lead Researcher: A/Prof Andrew Milne
📅 Applications close: 30 June, 2025
🔗 Full scholarship details and application instructions: www.westernsydney.edu.au/schools/grs/...
🎓 Lead Researcher: A/Prof Andrew Milne
📅 Applications close: 30 June, 2025
🔗 Full scholarship details and application instructions: www.westernsydney.edu.au/schools/grs/...
Revealing Universal and Cultural Origins of Music-Induced Emotion | Western Sydney University
www.westernsydney.edu.au
June 12, 2025 at 5:32 AM
We're pleased to offer a fully funded PhD scholarship: Revealing Universal and Cultural Origins of Music-Induced Emotion.
🎓 Lead Researcher: A/Prof Andrew Milne
📅 Applications close: 30 June, 2025
🔗 Full scholarship details and application instructions: www.westernsydney.edu.au/schools/grs/...
🎓 Lead Researcher: A/Prof Andrew Milne
📅 Applications close: 30 June, 2025
🔗 Full scholarship details and application instructions: www.westernsydney.edu.au/schools/grs/...
Wonderful to our very own Chris Davis, Jeesun Kim and Daniel Hochstrasser contributing to this epic mutli-lab replication result with a stellar line up of authors! #perception #rhythm #replication #musicscience
Once upon a time I couldn't replicate a published finding...and decided to do something about it.
Little did I know how long it would take to finish 😭...but here we are. I'm super proud of this paper and grateful to the other 68 (!) authors. ❤️
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Little did I know how long it would take to finish 😭...but here we are. I'm super proud of this paper and grateful to the other 68 (!) authors. ❤️
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
How strong is the rhythm of perception? A registered replication of Hickok et al. (2015) | Royal Society Open Science
Our ability to predict upcoming events is a fundamental component of human cognition.
One way in which we do so is by exploiting temporal regularities in sensory signals:
the ticking of a clock, falli...
royalsocietypublishing.org
June 11, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Wonderful to our very own Chris Davis, Jeesun Kim and Daniel Hochstrasser contributing to this epic mutli-lab replication result with a stellar line up of authors! #perception #rhythm #replication #musicscience
Congrats to all of our 2025 HDR Forum participants for another fantastic day of showcasing your research, especially award winners: Sami Arja, @aramirezharo3.bsky.social @oliviamaurice.bsky.social & Mina Aghaei. We may be biased, but our HDR Candidates are the best! #PhD
June 4, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Congrats to all of our 2025 HDR Forum participants for another fantastic day of showcasing your research, especially award winners: Sami Arja, @aramirezharo3.bsky.social @oliviamaurice.bsky.social & Mina Aghaei. We may be biased, but our HDR Candidates are the best! #PhD
Our very own Joyce Siette provides some key reasons why you don't need to panic that your cold sores might lead to Alzheimer's Disease - but what you can do is focus on what does keep your brain healthy as you age!
Alzheimer’s is a complex disease caused by many interacting factors. It’s possible the herpes virus could play a small role – but the evidence isn’t conclusive.
Could cold sores increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease? A new study is no cause for panic
theconversation.com
May 23, 2025 at 5:32 AM
Our very own Joyce Siette provides some key reasons why you don't need to panic that your cold sores might lead to Alzheimer's Disease - but what you can do is focus on what does keep your brain healthy as you age!
🎉 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗦, Dr. Alejandra Pesantez from the University of Zurich! Dr. Alejandra is teaming up with Prof. Paola Escudero to explore how do #bilingual children acquire more #languages 🧠 🗣️ We’re excited to see where this collaboration leads!
May 7, 2025 at 5:47 AM
🎉 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗦, Dr. Alejandra Pesantez from the University of Zurich! Dr. Alejandra is teaming up with Prof. Paola Escudero to explore how do #bilingual children acquire more #languages 🧠 🗣️ We’re excited to see where this collaboration leads!
New paper in @plosone.org from Anthony Chmiel, Roger Dean @katestevartssci.bsky.social Jen Macritchie, from our ARC DP that looked at older adult musical sophistication over 12 months of training & 6 month follow up. Improvisation led to the biggest gains: journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
Objective demonstration and quantitation of musical learning in older adult novices across a 12-month online study
This work aimed to objectively (mainly computationally) measure the extent to which 68 older adult novices developed specific musical abilities. The participants learned aural and keyboard performance...
journals.plos.org
April 10, 2025 at 1:42 AM
New paper in @plosone.org from Anthony Chmiel, Roger Dean @katestevartssci.bsky.social Jen Macritchie, from our ARC DP that looked at older adult musical sophistication over 12 months of training & 6 month follow up. Improvisation led to the biggest gains: journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
🤝 #AgedCare research is about people. Our Age Lab team had an incredible time engaging with the local community – listening to their experiences & exchanging ideas about optimising the wellbeing of older Australians. Conversations like these ensure our work truly makes a difference. #ResearchImpact
March 14, 2025 at 6:40 AM
🤝 #AgedCare research is about people. Our Age Lab team had an incredible time engaging with the local community – listening to their experiences & exchanging ideas about optimising the wellbeing of older Australians. Conversations like these ensure our work truly makes a difference. #ResearchImpact
✨ What if you could step into the past – relive cherished experiences and discover how memory shapes who we are? 🧠 Our #AgeLab team is exploring integrating #technology in #autobiographical #memory research, bridging science & humanity to support memory, wellbeing and even therapeutic applications.
March 7, 2025 at 1:30 AM
✨ What if you could step into the past – relive cherished experiences and discover how memory shapes who we are? 🧠 Our #AgeLab team is exploring integrating #technology in #autobiographical #memory research, bridging science & humanity to support memory, wellbeing and even therapeutic applications.