Personal profile

Employment

2016- present  Aston University, Birmingham, UK - Reader, Psychology

2001-2016       Aston University, Birmingham, UK - Senior Lecturer, Psychology

1994-2001       University of Birmingham, UK - Lecturer, Psychology

1992-1994       University of Birmingham, UK  - Research Fellow

1990-1992       Rice University, Houston, Texas - Research Associate

1985-1990       The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland - Teaching Assistant

Qualifications

  • BA/MA University of Rome
  • Ph.D., the Johs Hopkins University
  • Fellow of Higher Education Academy 2015-

Research Interests

My main interests are in investigating cognitive and linguistic functions in different populations with the goal to reach a better understanding of normal cognition, but also to achieve a better clinical management of individuals who experience cognitive impairments for a variety of reasons (aging, developmental impairments, stroke, metabolic diseases etc.My current research has three main strands: a) research on acquired language impairments (aphasia); b) research on reading and spelling and developmental dyslexia; and c) applied neuropsychological research(e.g., tracking cognitive outcomes in metabolic diseases).  These different areas are strongly interrelated in their theoretical and clinical implications.  I strongly value a theoretical, interdisciplinary approach between neuropsychology, linguistics, and cognitive science.

Membership of Professional Bodies

  • Member of ESPKU (European Society for Phenylketonuria) board for revision of clinical guidelines
  • Member of the Experimental Psychological Society (EPS)  1996 -
  • Associate fellow and chartered member of the British Psychological Society  (BPS) 1998-
  • Member of Academy of Aphasia 1994 (but with gaps)
  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy 2015-

Professional/editorial offices

Associate Editor for the journal Cognitive Neuropsychology

Teaching Activity

 Masters program teaching

  • Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Research Dissertation in Cognitive Neuroscience

Third year teaching

  • Understanding Language Impairments 

Second year teaching

  • Language and Communication 
  • Cognitive Psychology 

First year teaching

  • Approaches to Psychology; first year tutorials

Funding Applications and Awards

  • Project grant - Assessing rehabilitation outcomes in aphasia.  PI Gaspare Galati awarded to University of Rome la Sapienza about £50000.
  • Project grant- Cognitive outcomes in phenylketonuria and associations with Phe levels: Tracking progression across the life span.  Nutricia: £10000; Vitaflo: £6000; NSPKU: £ 10000.
  • Postgraduate fellowship/studentshipOctober 2016-October 2017Comparingneuropsychological function/cognitive outcomes between UK children with phenylketonuria and Ugandan children with iron deficiency.  Commonwealth Fellowship; Principal supervisor: CR.  about £35000
  • Postgraduate fellowship/studentship2013-2017. Using tDCS to optimize performance and reduce cognitive interference in language tasks.  DTCLNational UK PhD Application (as part of the Ministry of defence). PI: CR;  £106,533.   
  • Postgraduate fellowship/studentship2013-2016.tDCS effects on under- and over-activation in aphasiafunded by Aston Center for Healthy Aging (ARCHA)  and the University of Romein co-tutelle; about 35,000£from each institutions.  PI: CR. 
  • Project grant2013-2016.  Early treated patients with PKU:  Exploring the association between measures of metabolic control, cognitive performance and neurological healthMarie Curie European Fellowships.  PI: CR. £221,606.
  • Project grant2013.  Improving diagnosis in aphasia:  Complexity effects in error analyses and neuroimaging correlates. Funded by Institute for research and clinical care IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia,Rome.  PI: CR, Co-applicant: Prof. C. Guariglia, associate supervisor.  About £9,000.  
  • Project grant2012. Phenylketonuria: Study of treatment outcomes in early treated adult patientsPI:  Tarekegn Hiwot; Co-applicants: Cristina Romani, Chakrapani Anupam, Louise Robertson; MacDonald Anita; Jane Lodwig.  University Hospital Birmingham Charities; awarded to Aston£68,474.  

Research Projects/Collaborations

12.  Examples of collaborations with major research institutions in England and abroad.

  • Policlinico Umberto I, Romewith Prof Vincenzo Leuzzi investigating cognitive impairments and dietary effects in patients with Phenylketonuria. 
  • Santa Lucia Research Institute, Romewith Prof Gaspare Galati investigating semantic interference effects in aphasic patients.
  • The University of Rome, La Sapienza– with Prof .Pierluigi Zoccolotti– Investigating the underlying causes of dyslexia, cross-linguistically with equivalent or matched cognitive tasks. (see Marinelli et al., 2015 and Marinelli et al., submitted). 
  • Rice University Texas, USA– Dr. with Simon Fischer-Baum -  Both-edges representation of segment position in spoken word production.  Draft of paper in preparation available on request.  

Administrative Roles

  • Chair of the Psychology Ethics committee 2009-present (member from 2003)
  • Lead of Aging Mind Cluster of  ARCHA --Aston Research Centre for Healthy Ageing 2014-2018

Biography

Publication Summary

  • 59 publicationsoverall; 41 in top refereed journals with high impact factors;
  • In 23, I was the first author; In the great majority of the rest I am the senior author;
  • 4656citations according to Google Scholar (updated 30-1-18); with1154citations since 2013;
  • An h-index= 25-19,an i10-index=39-25indicating a high number of citations for the number of papers; 
  • Over 100 research presentations to conferences, research institutions and clinical societies.

Contact Details

mailto: C.Romani@aston.ac.uk 
telephone: +44 (0) 121 204 4081

Education/Academic qualification

PhD, The Johns Hopkins University

19851992

Keywords

  • BF Psychology
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • neuropsychology
  • aphasiology
  • Language rehabilitation
  • P Philology. Linguistics
  • psycholinguistics

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