Matea Balabanovska

Doctoral Scientist

I am a second year PhD student/research assistant working on a project exploring the brain basis of exceptional talent in autistic and non-autistic people. We are using behavioural and neuroimaging techniques to better understand how components such as sensory processing, attention and cognitive traits contribute to talent. I am also interested in how we process and respond to the environment around us with a research focus on the underlying neurobiology of differences in sensory behaviours in neurodevelopmental conditions (such as autism), and their impact on daily life. Previously I completed my MSc in clinical neurodevelopmental sciences in King’s College London where I worked on tactile perception in autism. Outside the lab, I like tennis, cool coffee places and the seaside.