Dr Michaela McAssey
- Research Associate (Biomedical Engineering)
email:
Michaela.McAssey@glasgow.ac.uk
pronouns:
She/her/hers
Biography
I am a neuroscientist and Research Associate in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Glasgow. My background spans psychology, cognitive neuroscience and systems neuroscience, and my research has focused on understanding how brain activity relates to perception and behaviour using human electrophysiology and non-invasive neuromodulation.
I completed my PhD in Systemic Neurosciences at the Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences (GSN) at Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) Munich, where I used EEG to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying visually induced self-motion and visual–vestibular processing. I then worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Neurology and German Centre for Vertigo and Balance Disorders at LMU Hospital, where I extended this research to ageing and clinical populations. This gave me broad experience in EEG, multisensory neuroscience, experimental design and human research in both academic and clinical settings.
I joined the University of Glasgow in 2024, where my research shifted towards closed-loop neurotechnology. My current work combines real-time EEG, neurofeedback, brain–computer interfaces and Brain-Responsive Music (BRM), with a focus on developing, implementing and evaluating closed-loop systems that integrate neural signal processing with real-time feedback. I am particularly interested in how these systems can be refined and translated into clinically relevant applications.
I also serve as the PDRA Representative for Biomedical Engineering, representing postdoctoral researchers across the School of Engineering.
Research interests
My research interests centre on how neural signals can be measured and used in real time within closed-loop neurotechnologies.
My current research focuses on EEG-based brain–computer interfaces. I am particularly interested in neural oscillations and how real-time EEG can be used to adapt sensory feedback and modulate targeted brain activity. More broadly, I am interested in how these approaches can be developed for clinical applications, with my current work focusing particularly on pain.
Key areas of interest include:
- Human electrophysiology, EEG and neural oscillations
- Closed-loop brain–computer interfaces and real-time EEG
- Neurofeedback and biofeedback
- Non-invasive neuromodulation
- Neurotechnology for pain and neurological rehabilitation
- Multisensory and visual–vestibular neuroscience
- Ageing and clinical neuroscience