Meet the Lab
Lab Director
Andria Shimi
Andria is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychology at the University of Cyprus and directs the MADLab.
Click here for a short Bio.
Postdoctoral Researchers
Yessica Martinez Serrato
Yessica is a postdoctoral researcher at MADLab working on developmental EEG studies on attention and working memory. She holds a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from the Universidad Nacional de Mexico, through which she acquired knowledge and skills in EEG/ERP and its relation with cognitive processes. She also developed an interest in brain oscillations through her various internship placements in Mexico and Chicago.
PhD students
Christos Gkoumas
Christos graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Panteion University of Athens in 2013. In 2016, he got his M.Sc. degree in Cognitive Neuroscience from the Medical School of Athens/Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University. During the second year of his master’s he did his research internship at the Sensorimotor Control Lab of the University Mental Health Research Institute in Athens and worked towards his thesis which was related to computational cognitive modelling of decision-making processes in typical and atypical populations, using behavioral and neuroimaging techniques. In 2017, he spent 6 months at the Motivation and Memory Lab at Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre as an Erasmus+ Trainee where he developed a novel paradigm to examine the neurocognitive effects of curiosity on learning and memory in naturalistic virtual environments, under the supervision of Dr Matthias Gruber. In 2018, he secured a Junior Researcher position at RISE LTD and became a member of the “VR for Well-Being” Multidisciplinary Research Group, dedicating most of his time to the development of immersive applications for upper and lower limb motor rehabilitation. Since September 2019, he is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD Fellow at Silversky 3D Virtual Reality Technologies which is part of Neo-Prism-C Innovative Training Network, supervised by Prof. Marios Avraamides. He is also studying towards a PhD in Psychology at the Department of Psychology of the University of Cyprus, under the supervision of Dr Andria Shimi.
Anastasios Petrou
Anastasios is a PhD student in Clinical Psychology. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Cyprus in 2018, obtaining the grade ‘Excellent with Distinction’ and was awarded the First prize given by the President of the Republic of Cyprus, as the first student with the highest grade of all academic faculties. He also received the First prize award for “Excellence in the Social Sciences” and the “Department of Psychology Award”. He holds an MSc in Child and Adolescent Mental Health with the overall grade “Distinction” from the King’s College London (KCL), earning scholarships from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience of KCL, the A. G. Leventis Foundation and the Cyprus State Scholarship Foundation. During his studies, he participated in the “Erasmus Placement” program, gaining clinical experience as an assistant psychologist in youth support centres and drug-addiction units in psychiatric hospitals in Athens and Thessaloniki. He also completed a clinical internship in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) at NHS London and worked as a school associate, providing psychological support and workshops to schools in Cyprus. He was involved as a research assistant in university research programs and worked as a researcher, supporting the implementation of international research projects in collaboration with UNICEF and Interpeace. His research interests include the evaluation and treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders and externalizing problems in childhood, focusing on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and the study of cognitive processes in typical and atypical populations. For his PhD thesis, Anastasios will use eye tracking to examine the interaction between attention and working memory across development.
Anna Papantoni
Anna is a PhD student in Psychology at the Department of Psychology of the University of Cyprus, under the supervision of Dr Andria Shimi and during the last two years, she has been working as a Special Research Scientist at MADLab. Anna holds a BA degree in Psychology from the University of Cyprus (2011) and a degree in Business Administration from the Cooperative State University of Heilbronn in Germany (2017) funded by Lidl Stiftung & Co.KG, Germany. During her studies in Germany, she was trained as an Area Manager and she researched employee satisfaction and workplace motivation. She also completed a 3-year MSc degree in Counselling Psychology at Neapolis University Paphos (2020). During the last year of her postgraduate studies, she worked as a trainee Counselling Psychologist at the Counselling Center of Neapolis University and the Counselling Center Ithaki (Kenthea), while for her MSc thesis she examined the relationship between work-related stress, substance abuse, and resilience. Before joining MADLab, Anna worked as a Special Scientist (administrative support) at the UCY Center for Applied Neuroscience and as a researcher at the Experimental Psychology Lab at the University of Cyprus.
Mara Michailidou
Mara is a PhD student in Clinical Psychology. She graduated with a BSc degree in Psychology from the University of Glasgow. She holds an MSc in Clinical Psychology from Utrecht University, through which she acquired and developed fundamental knowledge and skills in evidence-based psychotherapies and became familiar with prevailing research methods in the field of clinical psychology. Her interest in working with children and adolescents further flourished through her various internship placements in Scotland and Cyprus. For her PhD thesis, she will investigate the impact loneliness has on cognitive skills during transitional periods, among children.
MA students
Antonis Papantoniou
Antonis graduated with honors from the Department of Psychology of the University of Cyprus in 2020. During his undergraduate studies, he spent a semester at the University of Leuven in Belgium, as an Erasmus student, where he developed a special interest in the Philosophy and Psychology of Education. He is currently a graduate student in the Master’s program of School Psychology at the University of Cyprus and his research interests include the interaction between Cognitive and Applied Psychology as well as the examination of the role that executive functions have in everyday life.
Nicholas Pamboris
Nicholas graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Edinburgh in 2021. His internships in private schools and private psychological institutions have fueled his interest in working with children and Nicholas believes that efficient psychological interventions can enhance the life trajectory of a child. Engaging with research encompassing executive functions, memory, and social cognition have allowed him to acknowledge the ubiquitous nature of cognitive mechanisms and how unfolding those mechanisms can assist to comprehend atypical neurodevelopmental trajectories.
Christina Charalambidou
Christina is a graduate student in the Master’s program of School Psychology and holds a BSc degree in Psychology from the University of Cyprus. For her MA thesis, Christina is studying the cognitive profile of individuals with mental retardation.
Eleni Christodoulou
Eleni is enrolled in the Master’s programme in School Psychology at the University of Cyprus. She holds a BSc in Psychology from the University of Reading and an MSc in Child Development from the University College London, for which she was awarded the Prakesh de Silva Prize for outstanding merit. During her undergraduate studies, Eleni examined the impact of cocoa flavanols on memory and mood in neurotypical adults. As part of her postgraduate studies, she examined the mental and physical health and motor coordination differences between autistic and neurotypical families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, Eleni gained extensive experience in London, while working with atypical and neurotypical populations in kindergartens, schools and care homes. Eleni’s academic and practical experience instilled a sense of commitment and determination to better understand the cognitive processes that promote development and the factors which may hinder it. Therefore, Eleni is hoping that with her passion for scientific research and practical experience, she will be able to contribute to the formation and delivery of effective interventions that promote child development.
Special Research Scientists
Maria Kyriakou
Maria is a Special Research Scientist at MADLab. She graduated with honours from the Department of Psychology of the University of Essex in 2021. She holds an MSc in Psychological Research from the University of Edinburgh, which was obtained in 2022. During her studies, Maria was trained in various research, statistical and neuroimaging, methodologies in a number of psychological sub-disciplines with a specialization in Cognitive Neuroscience. Both her BSc and MSc theses investigated behaviour and decision making. The former project, which was presented in the 30th Annual meeting of the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour and Cognitive Science, investigated the effect of framing and trustworthiness of the speaker on vaccination intention for Covid-19. The latter examined the influence of social power motives on action for women’s rights under a Bayesian framework, as a way to uncover the psychological barriers that prevent gender equality from being achieved, a cause that is of great significance to her.
