Dr Amy Orben
Programme Leader
Research Professor


I direct a programme of research studying how digital technologies such as social media impact mental health. I am particularly interested in innovative methodologies and approaches that push the boundaries of what we thought was possible.

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

Dr Amanda Ferguson
Assistant Research Professor

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

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

Tania Smith
Centre Manager - Operations and Communications

As Centre Manager, I lead the group’s operational and communications functions. My core responsibilities include budget and resource management, coordination of complex multi-stakeholder projects and the implementation of effective administrative systems.

tania.smith[at]mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk

Dr Christina Haag
Research Associate

My research investigates the mechanisms through which digital media impact on adolescents’ mental health in daily life, leveraging multimodal AI-based computational methods such as large language models and computer vision techniques.

christina.haag[at]mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk

Luisa Fassi
Postdoctoral Researcher

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

Valerie Yap
Research Assistant

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

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

Find out more

Dr Amrit Kaur Purba
Assistant Research Professor

I study the potential causal relationships between social media use and youth engagement in health-risk behaviours and associated health inequalities.

amritkaur.purba[at]mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk

Tanay Katiyar
PhD student

I  am interested in exploring how digitalisation affects mental health in various cultural contexts.

tanay.katiyar[at]mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk

Brandon Davidson
Research Assistant

I use methods from computational neuroscience to understand the cognitive processes that underlie social media usage, and the relationship this has with mental health.

brandon.davidson[at]mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk

Ioanna Fokas
Research Assistant

I explore the quality and gaps in research on the relationship between adolescent social media use and various developmental outcomes.

ioanna.fokas[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.

Jamil Adjallah
Placement Student

I am currently undertaking a placement with the Digital Mental Health Group as part of my BSc Psychology degree at the University of Bath.

Meet the Team

Past members

  • Sinead Cleary: Summer Research Intern (2025)

  • Patrick Chou: Summer Research Intern (2024)

  • Zelda Brufal: Summer Research Intern (2024)

  • Aslihan Baser: Research Assistant (2024)

  • Amelia Leyland-Craggs: Research Assistant (2022-2024)

  • Sebastian Kurten: Postdoctoral Research Associate (2022-2024)

  • 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)