Biography

I completed my undergraduate and master degrees in Developmental and Educational Psychology at University of Padua, in Italy. Then, I moved to London to start a PhD ( funded by the Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher Fellowship) at the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck College London, under the supervision of Prof Mark H. Johnson. Here I investigated body perception in newborns and infants.

My first post-doctoral position at Royal Holloway University of London with Prof Manos Tsakiris focused on the interaction between interoceptive and exteroceptive body-related signals in the development of body-awareness in infants and adults. In 2016, I moved to University College London to work with Prof Katerina Fotopoulou and further my expertise on self- and body-awareness across the lifespan, with a specific focus on affective touch. I joined the Department of Psychology of University of Essex in Autumn 2017 as a lecturer.

At the University of Essex, I am part of the Essex Babylab, where I research the development of body awareness, self-recognition, and interoception using a combination of psychophysiological (e.g.; EEG/NIRS) and behavioural techniques.

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If you’re interested in my research work and would like to work on infant and child development, The University of Essex offers several options:

1. The Research Experience Scheme (RES) is aimed to students who have an interest in gaining research experience. The scheme gives you the opportunity to work with us on an ongoing research project for one term.
2. Frontrunners is the University of Essex paid placement scheme that gives students the opportunity to gain work experience
3. The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (UROP) is a placement scheme specifically aimed at undergraduate students who would like to gain first-hand research experience.

I am happy to discuss projects that fall within the scope of:

• Multisensory integration and body awareness across the lifespan
• Psychological and neural mechanisms of body awareness
• Methodological advances in fNIRS
• The development of self-recognition
• Mechanisms underpinning self-other distinction, including tactile interactions
• Interoception and eating behaviour in infants and young children (psychophysiology and behaviour)

Please get in touch if you want to discuss possible research experience and/or PhD opportunities.

I teach the following courses at University of Essex:

• Developmental Psychology (PS406)
• Making connections: how children develop (PS507)
• Advanced Developmental Psychology (PS931) #- Special Topics in Individual Differences and Developmental Psychology (PS938)

• m.filippetti{at}essex{dot}ac{dot}uk
• Department of Psychology, Wivenhoe Park, University of Essex, CO4 3SQ, Colchester UK
• email for appointment