Schedule
August 23 (Fri), 2024
Pre-Congress
August 24 (Sat), 2024
Congress Day 1 (10 am - )
Board Meeting
Reception
August 25 (Sun), 2024
Congress Day 2 ( - 4:30 pm)
Board of Trustees Meeting
General Council Meeting
(Details updated as needed)
keynote Speeches
Victoria Leong
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
University of Cambridge, UK
Title
Dyadic Sociometrics: Precision Assessment of Infant Development in a Social Interactive Context
Abstract
During early life, healthy neurodevelopment depends on warm, responsive and closely-coordinated social interactions between infants and caregivers. These rich multidimensional experiences act through multiple sensory and motor pathways to orchestrate healthy maturation of the neonatal brain, mind and body. Conversely, adverse early life experiences (including abuse or neglect) seed vulnerabilities for poor cognition and emotional instability throughout the lifespan. Despite the pivotal role played by caregiver interactions during early development, we still lack precision tools and models that can accurately and comprehensively capture the complex dynamics within the child’s “interactome” that shape the course of early brain and socioemotional development. Here, I will discuss dyadic sociometrics – real-time multi-sensor high-dimensional imaging of adult-infant dyadic social interactive behaviour and neurophysiology - as a deep phenotyping tool for early screening, risk prediction and precision intervention. Early risk identification and mitigation, paired with personalised therapeutics, could fundamentally alter a child’s development trajectory toward lifelong mental wellbeing and productivity.
Bio
Victoria Leong is Full Professor of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience and Director of the NTU Early Mental Potential and Wellbeing Research (EMPOWER) Centre at NTU, Singapore. Her research examines the neural basis of social interaction between parents and offspring, across human and rodent species, and in both healthy and disease models. She is a pioneer in the use of dyadic-EEG and in the development of dyadic sociometric predictive models for infant cognition and developing executive function. Her work has received recognition through the FABBS Early Career Impact Award, Robert J. Glushko Prize and the Nanyang Research Award.
Vicky received her undergraduate degree in Medical Science from the University of Cambridge. After working as a special education teacher and in special education policy in Singapore, she returned to Cambridge for a Masters in Psychology & Education and she obtained her PhD in Psychology from Cambridge in 2013. Vicky's PhD thesis was awarded the 2014 Robert J. Glushko Prize by the Cognitive Science Society, in recognition of outstanding cross-disciplinary work (integrating neuroscience, psychology, linguistics and computational modelling). Shortly after completing her PhD, Vicky was awarded a prestigious Junior Research Fellowship for early-career independent research at the University of Cambridge, followed by a Parke Davis Exchange Fellowship at Harvard University in 2015. Vicky has been awarded research grants from the UK Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC), the British Academy, Rosetrees Medical Trust, Wellcome LEAP, Ministry of Education (Singapore) and A*STAR, in total worth in excess of SGD$20 mil.