Team Members
Dr Valentina Cazzato
Phone: +44 151 904 6340
Email: v.cazzato@ljmu.ac.uk
Affiliation: Liverpool John Moores University
Lab Leader
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I am a Lecturer in Cognitive Neuroscience at the Department of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, UK.
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I carried out my PhD. titled ‘Reflexive Social Attention modulated by Social Cues: evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies’ at ‘Sapienza’ University of Rome (Italy), which I completed in 2010. Following this I worked almost 3 years as a Postdoctoral Researcher at University of Udine (Italy) on a project titled ‘Neurofunctional Alterations of body representation in Eating Disorder patients’. After a a period as Lecturer in Psychology at University of Bradford, I have recently joined the School of Natural Sciences and Psychology to take up my position, in 2016.
Sofia Sacchetti
Phone: +44 151 904 6327
Email: S.V.Sacchetti@2017.ljmu.ac.uk
Affiliation: Liverpool John Moores University
I am a PhD student interested in somatosensory processing and embodiment in the context of Eating Disorders. I studied Clinical Psychology (MSc) at University of Pavia and I conducted a Research Master in Psychopathology (MSc) at
Maastricht University. For the latest Master thesis, I carried out a research internship at University College London during which I examined mentalizing abilities and social cognition in Bulimia Nervosa. As part of my PhD, I am currently investigating multisensory integration and body misperception in Eating Disorders supervised by Dr. Laura Mirams, Dr. Valentina Cazzato and Prof. Francis McGlone.
Ashleigh Bellard
Phone: NA
Email: A.M.Bellard@ljmu.ac.uk
Affiliation: Liverpool John Moores University
I am a research assistant working alongside Dr Valentina Cazzato. We are currently working on a project which involves investigating self-body knowledge in young and middle-aged women.
In 2017, I graduated with Psychology (BSc) degree at Liverpool Hope University. For my third year dissertation; I investigated ‘Facial EMG and behavioural biases to dynamic facial expressions’, supervised by Dr Letizia Palumbo. At present, I am a Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging (MSc) student at Liverpool Hope University conducting a dissertation titled; ‘I feel what you feel: The role of the Premotor Cortex (PMC) in emotional anticipation, a TMS study’, also supervised by Dr Letizia Palumbo and Dr Dan Clark (Co-supervisor).
Muna Farah
I am a research assistant working with Dr. Valentina Cazzato. We are currently investigating the effects of appetite on aesthetic appreciation of human bodies. Prior to this, I studied Applied Psychology (BSc) at Liverpool John Moores University wherein, for my third-year dissertation, I researched the impact of victims’ ethnicity on perceptions of intimate partner violence. In addition, in 2017 I went on to complete an MSc. in Health Psychology at the same university. For my Masters dissertation, I investigated gender differences in smartphone addiction and the effects it has on depression and unhealthy behaviours.
Alberto Failla
I am an Erasmus Plus trainee and research assistant working with Dr. Cazzato. Our team is exploring body image, weight stigma and action observation.
I am attending the third year of the bachelor degree in Psychology at the University of Bologna, Italy. In 2017 I won the Erasmus+ grant to spend one semester at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. In 2018 I got the Erasmus+ grant for traineeship to write my final dissertation at the Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom.
