Hi, I'm Alicia

I'm a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne

I have a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Cambridge and an interest in digital health.

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About Me

I am a Data Analyst with a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Cambridge. I have extensive experience running statistical analyses to solve complex, real-world problems. I am experienced in product analytics, user engagement metrics, and translating insights into decisions through close collaboration with data engineers, clinicians, and non-technical stakeholders. I perform analyses using R, but have also self-taught Python, MATLAB, and ReactJS, selecting tools based on the needs of the project and building reproducible workflows that I share on GitHub.

Areas of Expertise

Product Analytics Data Analysis Project Management R Programming Computational Modelling Machine Learning Longitudinal Data Analysis

Curriculum Vitae

Education

Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience

2020 - 2024

University of Cambridge

Dissertation: "The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying metamemory disruptions"

B.Sc. in Neuroscience

2015 - 2019

University of Manchester

Thesis: "Effects of childhood maltreatment on neural structure and its relationship with depression"

Professional Experience

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

2024 - Present

University of Melbourne

Data Analyst / Research Partner

2025 - Present

Left Write Hook

Data Analyst

2023

Orygen Digital

Research Assistant

2019 - 2020

University of Cambridge

Awards & Funding

Sir Robbie Jennings Fund

2023

University of Cambridge

Ting-Hway Wong Fund

2023

University of Cambridge

MRC DTP Flexible Supplement Funding

2023

Medical Research Council

Jesus College Postgraduate Travel Grant

2023

University of Cambridge

Alwyn Lishman Prize

2022

The British Neuropsychiatry Association

MRC PhD Studentship

2020

Medical Research Council

Publications

User Character Strengths and Engagement Prediction on a Digital Mental Health Platform for Young People: Longitudinal Observational Study

2025

Alicia J Smith, Shaminka N Mangelsdorf, Simon TE Baker, Javad Jafari, Mario Alvarez-Jimenez, Caitlin Hitchcock, Shane Cross

Journal of Medical Internet Research 27:e73793

Hot metacognition: poorer metacognitive efficiency following acute but not traumatic stress

2024

Alicia J Smith, James A Bisby, Quentin Dercon, Anna Bevan, Stacey L Kigar, Mary-Ellen Lynall, Tim Dalgleish, Caitlin Hitchcock, Camilla L Nord

Translational Psychiatry 14, 133

Friendship buffering effects on mental health symptoms before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A UK longitudinal study of young people with childhood adversity

2024

Maximilian König, Alicia J Smith, Laura Moreno-López, Eugenia Davidson, Maria Dauvermann, Sofia Orellana, Ethan M McCormick, Tara S Peris, Muzaffer Kaser, Konstantinos Ioannidis, Anne-Laura Van Harmelen

Development and Psychopathology 1-16.

From basic science to clinical practice: Can cognitive behavioural therapy tasks be augmented with enhanced episodic specificity?

2023

Laura C Marsh, Shivam D Patel, Alicia J Smith, Melody So, Harriet Armstrong, Rachel Elliott, Edward Watkins, Michelle Moulds, Tim Dalgleish, Caitlin Hitchcock

Behaviour research and therapy 167

A transdiagnostic meta-analysis of acute augmentations to psychological therapy

2023

Camilla L Nord, Beth Longley, Quentin Dercon, Veronica Phillips, Julia Funk, Siobhan Gormley, Rachel Knight, Alicia J Smith, Tim Dalgleish

Nature Mental Health 1, 389–401

A randomized, controlled proof-of-concept trial evaluating durable effects of memory flexibility training (MemFlex) on autobiographical memory distortions and on relapse of recurrent major depressive disorder over 12 months

2021

Caitlin Hitchcock, Alicia J Smith, Rachel Elliott, Cliodhna O'Leary, Siobhan Gormley, Jenna Parker, Shivam D Patel, Carlos V Esteves, Evangeline Rodrigues, Emily Hammond, Peter Watson, Aliza Werner-Seidler, Tim Dalgleish

Behaviour research and therapy 140, 103835

The resilient emotional brain: a scoping review of the medial prefrontal cortex and limbic structure and function in resilient adults with a history of childhood maltreatment

2020

Laura Moreno-López, Konstantinos Ioannidis, Adrian Dahl Askelund, Alicia J Smith, Katja Schueler, Anne-Laura Van Harmelen

Biological Psychiatry: cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging 5, 4, 392-402

Role of autobiographical memory in patient response to cognitive behavioural therapies for depression: protocol of an individual patient data meta-analysis

2019

Caitlin Hitchcock, Judita Rudokaite, Shivam Patel, Alicia Smith, Isla Kuhn, Edward Watkins, Tim Dalgleish

BMJ Open 9, e031110

Get In Touch

Email

aliciajsmith2@outlook.com

Location

Melbourne, VIC, Australia