Meet the Team

Dr Amy Orben
Programme Leader Track Scientist

My work focuses on how digital technologies such as social media impact mental health. I am particularly interested in the potential cognitive, biological or social mechanisms that underlie this link, and the influence of individual differences.

amy.orben[at]mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk

Dr Amanda Ferguson
Postdoctoral Research Associate

I study how adolescents use and make sense of social media.

amanda.ferguson[at]mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk

Dr Sebastian Kurten
Postdoctoral Research Associate

I use complex survey data to investigate media effects on wellbeing.

sebastian.kurten[at]mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk

Luisa Fassi
MRC-DTP PhD student, co-supervised by Prof Tamsin Ford

My research examines the relationship between social media use and different mental health conditions during youth.

luisa.fassi[at]mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk

Georgia Turner
MRC-DTP PhD student

I apply methods from computational neuroscience to understand the drivers, effects and cognitive mechanisms of social media use.

georgia.turner[at]mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk

Lukas Gunschera
PhD student

My research examines cognitive risk and protective factors of social media use and mental health.

lukas.gunschera[at]mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk

Amira Skeggs
PhD student

I’m interested in developing social media interventions to improve young people’s mental health.

amira.skeggs[at]mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk

Aslihan Baser
Part-time Research Assistant

I work on how social media influences adolescents’ identity development.

aslihan.baser[at]mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk

Matthew Richards
Full-time Research Assistant

I use computational and statistical methods to understand the impact of social media on mental health.

matthew.richards[at]mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk

Amelia Leyland-Craggs
Full-time Research Assistant

I work on youth engagement and co-creation within our projects. I'm interested in mental health inequalities and social media as a risk or protective factor.

amelia.leyland-craggs[at]mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk

Valerie Yap
Full-time Research Assistant

I explore social uncertainty in online social environments and work on youth engagement projects.

valerie.yap[at]mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk

You?
Postdoctoral Fellow/PhD Student/Visiting Student

We are always looking for talented and innovative researchers to join our group. If you are interested, please contact us.

Past members

  • Dr Sakshi Ghai: PhD student (graduated 2023)

  • Tom Metherell: Summer Research Assistant, funded by the British Psychological Society (2021)

  • Tara Bhagat: Summer Research Assistant, funded by the G. C. Grindley Fund (2021)

  • Faisal Awadh: SSC Research Assistant, as part of the Medical Sciences Tripos (2020/2021)

  • Nicole Guo: Research Intern (2020/2021)

  • Zoe Rossall: Research Intern (2020/2021)