Dr Sabrina Sghirripa
NHMRC Grant-Funded Research Fellow
School of Computer Science and Information Technology
College of Engineering and Information Technology
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.
My research involves the use of non-invasive brain recording techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG) to investigate the neurophysiological changes that underlie cognitive ageing. I am particularly interested in the role of neural oscillations during complex cognitive processes such as working memory and attention, as well as how lifestyle factors influence cognitive and neural function in late life. I also have a keen interest in tertiary education and contribute to a range of health and medical science courses across the University of Adelaide and UniSA.
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 - ongoing | Adjunct Research Fellow | University of South Australia |
| 2023 - ongoing | Postdoctoral Research Fellow | University of Adelaide |
| 2022 - 2023 | Human Performance Scientist | Defence Science and Technology Organisation |
| 2021 - 2022 | Casual Teaching Academic | University of South Australia |
| 2019 - 2022 | Casual Teaching Academic | University of Adelaide |
| Language | Competency |
|---|---|
| English | Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 - 2022 | University of Adelaide | Australia | Doctor of Philosophy |
| 2018 - 2018 | University of Adelaide | Australia | Bachelor of Health and Medical Sciences (Honours) |
| 2015 - 2017 | University of Adelaide | Australia | Bachelor of Psychological Science |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Graetz, L., Goldsworthy, M., Pope, K., Sghirripa, S., Sayed, T., O’Loughlin, R., & Shekhawat, G. S. (2025). Electroencephalographic features of chronic subjective tinnitus: A scoping review. DOI |
| 2025 | Saywell, I., Sghirripa, S., Walls, A., Dwyer, A., Child, B., Salamon, J., . . . Baetu, I. (2025). Lifetime experiences as proxies of cognitive reserve predict cognition and motor function beyond multimodal MRI brain measures in healthy adults. DOI |
| 2025 | Sghirripa, S., Graziano, A., & Goldsworthy, M. (2025). The relationship between task-related aperiodic EEG activity, neural inefficiency and verbal working memory in younger and older adults. DOI |
| 2025 | Sghirripa, S., Beu, N., Burns, N., Collins-Praino, L., Cohen-Woods, S., Jenkinson, M., & Baetu, I. (2025). Cognitive Reserve Buffers the Impact of Traumatic Events and Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms on Mid- to Late-Life Cognitive Performance. DOI |
| 2023 | Sghirripa, S., Graetz, L., Semmler, J., Sutton, R., Williams, E. E. R., & Goldsworthy, M. (2023). Age-Related Differences in Alpha Power for Distractor Inhibition During Visual Working Memory. DOI |
| 2022 | Sghirripa, S., Semmler, J., & Goldsworthy, M. (2022). Age-Related Changes in Visual Working Memory Consolidation. DOI |
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Co-Supervisor | Developing a clinician-informed model for predicting cognitive trajectories in individuals with schizophrenia using machine learning methods. | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Shamini Thirugnana Sambandam |
| 2025 | Co-Supervisor | Development of a New Cognitive Reserve Measure: Implications for Parkinson’s Disease and Traumatic Brain Injury | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Isaac Calvin Saywell |
| 2025 | Co-Supervisor | Development of a New Cognitive Reserve Measure: Implications for Parkinsons Disease and Traumatic Brain Injury | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Isaac Calvin Saywell |
| 2025 | Co-Supervisor | Developing a clinician-informed model for predicting cognitive trajectories in individuals with schizophrenia using machine learning methods. | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Shamini Thirugnana Sambandam |
| 2024 | Co-Supervisor | Using Explainable Machine Learning to Explore Risk Signatures for Parkinson's Disease in Integrated Medical Imaging and Clinical Data | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Ankush Gajanan Arudkar |
| 2024 | Co-Supervisor | Using Explainable Machine Learning to Explore Risk Signatures for Parkinson's Disease in Integrated Medical Imaging and Clinical Data | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Ankush Gajanan Arudkar |
| 2023 | Co-Supervisor | Neurophysiology of Cognitive Reserve and Working Memory in Ageing | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms Victoria Prowse |
| 2023 | Co-Supervisor | Neurophysiology of Cognitive Reserve and Working Memory in Ageing | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms Victoria Prowse |
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Location | Program | Supervision Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 - 2025 | Co-Supervisor | Investigating White Matter Structural Alterations Associated with Mood Dysfunction Following Traumatic Brain Injury | The University of Adelaide | Bachelor of Health and Medical Sciences (Honours) | Honours | Full Time | Yaroslava Leonova |
| 2025 - 2025 | Co-Supervisor | The Interaction Between Cognitive Reserve and Tremor in Parkinson’s Disease | The University of Adelaide | Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) | Honours | Full Time | Zac Wilinski |
| 2025 - 2025 | Co-Supervisor | White Matter Tract Integrity and Reinforcement Learning in Obesity | The University of Adelaide | Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) | Honours | Full Time | Lily Baxter |
| 2024 - 2024 | Co-Supervisor | White Matter Tract Integrity in Sub-clinical Autism and Anxiety | The University of Adelaide | Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) | Honours | Full Time | Bill Kazis |
| 2024 - 2024 | Co-Supervisor | Exploring Aperiodic EEG Activity and Cognitive Function in Major Psychoses | The University of Adelaide | Bachelor of Health and Medical Sciences (Honours) | Honours | Full Time | Velouria Indigo Phoenix Wild |
| 2021 - 2022 | Co-Supervisor | Age Differences in Distractor Inhibition During Visual Working Memory | The University of Adelaide | Bachelor of Health and Medical Science (Honours) | Honours | Full Time | Rebecca Sutton |
| 2021 - 2021 | Co-Supervisor | The Influence of Cognitive Reserve on Age-Related Changes in Neural Noise | The University of Adelaide | Bachelor of Health and Medical Science (Honours) | Honours | Full Time | Emilia Ek |
| 2020 - 2020 | Co-Supervisor | How Brain Oscillations Shape Working Memory Capacity | The University of Adelaide | Bachelor of Health and Medical Science (Honours) | Honours | Full Time | Jay Manion |