I completed my PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience at the School of Psychology, University of Birmingham in 2014. Under the supervision of Prof Ian Apperly and Dr Peter Hansen, my PhD thesis aimed to explore the functions of parts of the brain typically associated with Social Cognition, in particular, the ability to infer the mental causes of action (termed 'Theory of Mind'). 

I then went on to work at the University of Oxford as a Postdoctoral Research Associate with Prof Roi Cohen Kadosh on the neurodevelopmental bases of variability in math achievement in children.

I joined Aston in 2016 as a Lecturer in Psychology where, in addition to supporting the teaching and learning in Psychology and Neuroscience, I will continue my research in cognition and the brain.

My research involves developing experimental paradigms that can be used to modulate specific parts of the brain, in order to better understand the functions of those brain regions. Initially working with healthy adults, I have begun teasing apart those higher-cognitive functions that support Theory of Mind, giving attention to those supporting brain networks with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and transcranial magnetic brain stimulation (TMS).

I am also interested in Open Research - that is, how to make research (including the products of research) more transparent and re-usable. I try to use Open Research throughout all of my work, ranging from the tools I use, to how I share my research outputs. Please visit my Open Science Framework page for study pre-registrations, journal preprints, open access data and more.

I am module convenor for a second-year module, PY2506 Individual Differences, Health & Personality. I developed the parts of the module which examine how we can predict and explain variation in intelligence and cognitive ability. My component introduces biological and environmental influences, and explores evidence from behavioural genetics. This work is largely influenced by my research in mathematical achievement, conducted during my postdoctoral training.

I also am module convenor for a final year module, PY3021, Perspectives on Improving Methods in Psychological Science. Influenced by my commitment to improving transparency and rigour in psychology, I developed this this module to introduce students to reproducibility and replicability in psychological science. I teach students practical ways to assess reproducibility and replicability in other people's research, and how to implement robust practises in their own research. This teaching is influenced by my ongoing work in Open Research, for which I have supported other academics nationally.

In addition, I supervise final year students conducting their own research as part of their dissertation. I also support teaching at postgraduate level in Cognitive Neuroscience and Open Science.

Phone Number: 0121 204 4168
Email: c.hartwright@aston.ac.uk
Room number: SW614

Students can make an appointment with me via WASS