Sussex Attention Lab
People
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Dr Sophie Forster
Principal Investigator
My research uses cognitive psychology and neuroscience methods to study attention, distraction and mind wandering, in both non-clinical and clinical populations. I completed my PhD research under the supervision of Nilli Lavie at University College London. My post-doctoral research took me to Sonia Bishop's lab at UC Berkeley, before moving back to University College London for an ESRC fellowship. I have been a member of faculty of the School of Psychology at the University of Sussex since 2013.
Charlie Havill
PhD student
I am currently investigating attention and neurodiversity under the supervision of Dr. Sophie Forster. I completed my undergraduate degree in linguistics at Cardiff University, where I developed an interest in psycholinguistics. I then worked as an audiologist with the NHS before pursuing a master's in psychology at the University of Exeter. My academic and clinical background has provided me with a strong foundation in sensation, perception, and cognition, which has guided my transition to research in psychology and cognitive neuroscience. I am especially interested in how attentional processes differ across clinical populations and how these distinctions can inform diagnoses. My lab work utilises electroencephalography paired with behavioural measures, and I use network modelling (network psychometrics) to help uncover how symptoms interact within and across disorders.
Olivia Stevens
RA Placement Student
I am an undergraduate Psychology with Neuroscience student currently completing my placement year as a Research Assistant at the Attention Lab. My interests lie in perception and sensation within cognitive/clinical neuroscience, as well as coding and research methods. I am particularly interested in human neuroimaging techniques and hope to further develop my skills in EEG methodology and analysis to explore the mechanisms underlying attention. I have been fortunate enough to receive funding to continue working as a Research Assistant over the summer of 2026, where I will investigate perceptual decoupling using steady-state visually evoked potentials (SSVEPs) as electrophysiological measures. Beyond this, I hope to branch out into the neurobiological basis of sensation, perception and cognition, including how different neural pathways and physiological symptoms interact to shape perceptual experience.
Jolie McWilliams
RA Placement Student
I am an undergraduate Psychology student currently completing a placement year at the Attention Lab. My interests lie between Cognitive and Clinical Psychology, and I’m particularly interested in learning about the lived experience of neurodiversity (including ADHD) using qualitative methodology. I'm also interested in how we define ADHD across different symptom checklists (e.g. the DSM vs the Adult ADHD Self Report Scale) and how this may change the interpretation of these symptoms. I hope to improve my academic ability in all areas, including branching out into new kinds of data analysis (e.g. reflexive thematic analysis).