Chiara Nosarti
Interdisciplinary Principal Investigator
Professor Nosarti is a cognitive neuropsychologist and investigates how early-life experiences shape brain, cognitive and behavioural development, and pathways to resilience and mental health vulnerability. She leads longitudinal studies tracking development in both typically and atypically developing children.
Vanessa Kyriakopoulou
Project Manager
Dr Kyriakopoulou is a Senior Research Fellow and the Project Manager of the study. She oversees the project, ensuring that it follows research governance requirements and that all data collected are accurate and stored securely. Her research focuses on understanding early brain development and its relationship with later neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Tomoki Arichi
Perinatal neuroscience and 7T lead, Co-Investigator
Professor Arichi is a clinician scientist specialising in functional MRI and brain connectivity in early life. He studies brain activity before and after birth. In DCCP, Tomoki co-leads the imaging programme, bringing expertise in ultra-high-field MRI, image acquisition and paediatric neuroimaging.
Olivia Dark
Research Assistant & PhD student
Olivia is a Research Assistant and part-time PhD student studying how early family and environmental factors shape children’s behavioural and socio-emotional development. In DCCP, Olivia conducts study assessments and supports research delivery, while using longitudinal dHCP and DCCP data for her doctoral research.
Jonathan O’Muircheartaigh
Computational analysis and 7T lead, Co-Investigator
Professor O’Muircheartaigh specialises in analysing brain development from before birth through childhood. In DCCP, Jonathan brings expertise in ultra-high-field and longitudinal neuroimaging, helping link children’s new MRI scans with their early-life imaging to understand how individual brain development changes over time.
Andrew Chew
Senior Assessor
Dr Andrew Chew MD is a Developmental Paediatrician who met most of the parents when the children were assessed as infants under the dHCP and then as school-aged controls in the Congenital Heart Imaging Program. He will be leading the recruitment and is senior assessor for the DCCP Study.
Jo Hajnal
Physics and 7T lead, Co-Investigator
Professor Hajnal develops advanced MRI technologies for imaging babies and children, including faster, motion-tolerant and child-friendly methods. In DCCP, Jo leads on imaging methodology, helping develop and optimise the advanced 7-Tesla MRI techniques used to collect detailed images of children’s brains.
Paola Dazzan
Psychiatry lead, Co-Investigator
Professor Dazzan studies how biological and social factors interact to influence mental health and has led large studies following young people over time. In DCCP, Paola brings expertise in measuring mental health and interpreting links between brain development, behaviour and psychiatric vulnerability.
Jacques-Donald Tournier
Advanced MR methods lead, Co-Investigator
Dr Tournier develops diffusion MRI methods for mapping the brain’s white matter and connections, including widely used open-source analysis tools. In DCCP, Jacques provides specialist expertise in acquiring and analysing diffusion MRI to measure how white-matter pathways and brain connectivity change across childhood.
Phillip Shaw
Psychiatry lead, Co-Investigator
Professor Shaw specialises in child and adolescent mental health research, particularly ADHD, and is Director of the King’s Maudsley Partnership for Children and Young People. In DCCP, Philip helps interpret how developmental changes in the brain relate to children’s mental health outcomes.
Dafnis Batelle
Functional computational models lead, Co-Investigator
Dr Batalle uses computational and mathematical methods to study individual differences in brain organisation, including in autism and ADHD. In DCCP, Dafnis develops advanced data-analysis and modelling approaches to identify brain patterns and map individual children’s neurodevelopmental trajectories over time.
Seeromanie Harding
Social epidemiology lead, C0-Investigator
Professor Harding studies social and ethnic inequalities in health and has led major studies of diverse communities. In DCCP, Seeromanie brings expertise in social epidemiology, helping us measure and understand how children’s social and environmental circumstances relate to brain development and mental health.
Shaihan Malik
Advanced MR methods development
Professor Malik specialises in the physics of ultra-high-field 7T MRI, including developing advanced imaging methods for children. In DCCP, Shaihan helps develop and optimise the MRI protocol, providing technical expertise to ensure high-quality, efficient and safe brain imaging throughout the study.
Nzinga Gardner
Lived experience Co-Investigator
Mrs Gardner is a parent co-investigator and public advisor who brings lived experience to DCCP. Nzinga helps shape research priorities, study design and family engagement, ensuring the study remains accessible and inclusive and addresses questions that are relevant and meaningful to families.
Emma Robinson
Surface base computational models lead, Co-Investigator
Dr Robinson develops computational and machine-learning methods for analysing brain images and has created tools used in major international imaging studies. In DCCP, Emma leads advanced image analysis, developing high-quality individual measures that allow brain structure and function to be compared over time.
Andrew Lawrence
Biostatistician, named researcher
Dr Lawrence specialises in analysing longitudinal brain imaging and mental health data. In DCCP, Andrew provides statistical expertise, helping design the accelerated longitudinal study and develop models to analyse developmental change, individual differences, and factors linked to risk and resilience over time.
Pip Brigden
Superintendent Advanced MRI Research Radiographer
Pip Bridgen is an experienced MRI research radiographer at the Advanced MRI Centre, St Thomas’ Hospital. In DCCP, Pip leads the radiography team delivering the 7T MRI scans, overseeing scan procedures and helping ensure children’s imaging visits are safe, comfortable and run smoothly.
Thank you to our funders & sponsors!
We are incredibly grateful to Wellcome and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) for funding DCCP and making this research possible. We also thank King’s College London and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, our study co-sponsors, for their continued support and oversight. Together, their support enables us to follow the DCCP families and advance our understanding of children’s development.
