Maddison Mellow

Dr Maddison Mellow

Research Associate

School of Allied Health and Human Performance

College of Health

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.

Available For Media Comment.

Dr Maddison Mellow is a cognitive neuroscientist with expertise in healthy ageing and dementia risk reduction. She completed a Bachelor of Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience (Honours) in 2018, followed by her PhD (conferred in 2023) at the University of South Australia. Her PhD thesis investigated how the balance of physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep in the 24-hr day (i.e., 24-hr time-use composition) is associated with cognitive function, brain structure and brain plasticity in older adults without dementia. This work was funded by a Dementia Australia Research Foundation PhD scholarship. 
Since 2023 she has been employed as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity (ARENA) Research Centre. Her postdoctoral research program explores the links between lifestyle and brain health in older adulthood, and the factors which impact this relationship (e.g., health, sociodemographic characteristics, and genetic risk factors for dementia). Using this knowledge, her research aims to create dementia risk reduction tools and programs which are personalised to individual characteristics, preferences and needs. Having been born and raised in rural South Australia, Dr Mellow is particularly passionate about ensuring rural Australians are given the tools and knowledge to age well in place, and are not left behind in health research.
To date, she has been awarded >$1.5million in competitive research funding and travel grants, including the Dr Maree Farrow Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (Dementia Australia research Foundation), an Australian Association of Gerontology Emerging Researchers in Ageing travel grant (2024), an EO Myers and South Australian Cardiovascular Research Fund travel grant (2025), and as co-investigator on a National Health and Medical Research Council Ideas Grant (2024). Dr Mellow has presented her work at international scientific conferences including the Alzheimer's Association International Conference and International Network of Time-Use Epidemiologists Annual Meeting.
She actively co-supervises a number of PhD candidates and Honours students from cognitive neuroscience, clinical exercise physiology, occupational therapy and physiotherapy backgrounds. 

Year Citation
2026 Mellow, M. L., Stanford, T. E., Olds, T., Miatke, A., Smith, A. E., & Dumuid, D. (2026). An interactive tool to personalise 24-hour activity, sitting and sleep prescription for optimal health outcomes.. NPJ digital medicine.
DOI
2026 Rwodzi, Z., Mellow, M. L., Wu, D. P., Laver, K., Dumuid, D., & Smith, A. E. (2026). Characteristics of publicly available digital dementia risk screening tools: A scoping review. JOURNAL OF ALZHEIMERS DISEASE REPORTS, 10, 14 pages.
DOI
2026 Singh, B., Petersen, J., Miatke, A., Dumuid, D., Szeto, K., Dankiw, K. A., . . . Maher, C. (2026). Exercise-based interventions for smoking cessation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.. Journal of sport and health science, 101138.
DOI
2025 Burton, B., Mellow, M. L., Bower, I., Barrie, H., Keage, H., & Smith, A. E. (2025). Public Health. Alzheimer S Dementia the Journal of the Alzheimer S Association, 21(Suppl 6), e100636.
DOI
2025 Collins, A. M., Mellow, M. L., Wan, L., Smith, A. E., Oberlin, L. E., Sewell, K. R., . . . Erickson, K. I. (2025). Association between 24-h time-use composition and brain age: The IGNITE study. Alzheimer's and Dementia, 11(4), e70187-1-e70187-10.
DOI
2025 Mellow, M. L., Dumuid, D., Keage, H., Karayanidis, F., & Smith, A. E. (2025). Public Health. Alzheimer S Dementia the Journal of the Alzheimer S Association, 21(Suppl 6), e098141.
DOI
2025 Mellow, M. L., Blake, H. T., Ferguson, T., Robins, B., Dumuid, D., Olds, T., . . . Smith, A. E. (2025). ‘Small Steps’ towards improving 24-hour time-use behaviours to decrease the risk of dementia: protocol for a personalised, web-based randomised controlled trial in community-dwelling older adults. BMJ Open, 15(11), 14 pages.
DOI WoS1
2025 Blake, H. T., Davis, A., Mellow, M. L., Hull, M., Robins, B., Laver, K., . . . Smith, A. E. (2025). Co-design of a digital 24-hour time-use intervention with older adults and allied health professionals. Frontiers in Digital Health, 7(1544489), 14 pages.
DOI Scopus2 WoS3 Europe PMC2
2025 Mellow, M. L., Taylor, P. J., Luscombe Marsh, N., Kenny, P., & Lushington, K. (2025). Food preparation and nutrition manuals in Australian residential aged care: a comparative analysis. Collegian, 32(6), 427-435.
DOI
2025 Kałamała, P., Ware, N., Fabiani, M., Michie, P., Hunter, M., Wade, A., . . . Karayanidis, F. (2025). Cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiometabolic health are associated with distinct cognitive domains in cognitively healthy older adults. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 19 pages.
DOI
2025 James, J. J., Mellow, M. L., Bueckers, E. P., Gutsch, S. B., Wrucke, D. J., Pearson, A. G., . . . Hunter, S. K. (2025). Sex differences in human skeletal muscle fiber types and the influence of age, physical activity, and muscle group: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Physiological Reports, 13(21), e70616.
DOI Scopus5 WoS5 Europe PMC4
2025 Collins, A. M., Mellow, M. L., Smith, A. E., Wan, L., Gothe, N. P., Fanning, J., . . . Erickson, K. I. (2025). 24-Hour time use and cognitive performance in late adulthood: results from the investigating gains in neurocognition in an intervention trial of exercise (IGNITE) study. Age And Ageing, 54(4, article no. afaf072), 1-9.
DOI Scopus7 WoS7 Europe PMC9
2024 Sewell, K. R., Collins, A. M., Mellow, M. L., Falck, R. S., Brown, B. M., Smith, A. E., & Erickson, K. I. (2024). A compensatory role of physical activity in the association between sleep and cognition. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, 52(4), 145-151.
DOI Scopus9 WoS8 Europe PMC8
2024 Mellow, M. L., Luscombe Marsh, N., Taylor, P. J., Kenny, P., & Lushington, K. (2024). Food, nutrition and the dining experience in aged care settings: findings of a nationwide survey. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 43(1), 100-111.
DOI Scopus4 WoS4 Europe PMC2
2024 Mellow, M. L., Dumuid, D., Olds, T., Stanford, T., Dorrian, J., Wade, A. T., . . . Smith, A. E. (2024). Cross-sectional associations between 24-hour time-use composition, grey matter volume and cognitive function in healthy older adults. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 21(1), 11-1-11-17.
DOI Scopus14 WoS13 Europe PMC13
2024 Shah, M., Suresh, S., Paddick, J., Mellow, M. L., Rees, A., Berryman, C., . . . Smith, A. E. (2024). Age-related changes in responsiveness to non-invasive brain stimulation neuroplasticity paradigms: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Clinical Neurophysiology, 162, 53-67.
DOI Scopus5 WoS5 Europe PMC5
2024 Simpson, F. M., Wade, A., Stanford, T., Mellow, M. L., Collins, C. E., Murphy, K. J., . . . Karayanidis, F. (2024). The Relationship Between Dietary Patterns, Cognition, and Cardiometabolic Health in Healthy, Older Adults. Nutrients, 16(22), 22 pages.
DOI Scopus2 WoS2 Europe PMC1
2024 Mellow, M. L., Dumuid, D., Wade, A., Olds, T., Stanford, T., Keage, H., . . . Smith, A. E. (2024). Should We Work Smarter or Harder for Our Health? A Comparison of Intensity and Domain-Based Time-Use Compositions and Their Associations With Cognitive and Cardiometabolic Health. Journals of Gerontology Series A Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 79(11), 10 pages.
DOI Scopus6 WoS6 Europe PMC8
2023 Mellow, M. L., Dumuid, D., Wade, A. T., Stanford, T., Olds, T. S., Karayanidis, F., . . . Smith, A. E. (2023). Corrigendum: Twenty-four-hour time-use composition and cognitive function in older adults: cross-sectional findings of the ACTIVate study (Front. Hum. Neurosci., (2022), 16, (1051793), 10.3389/fnhum.2022.1051793). Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 17, 1221303.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2023 Miatke, A., Olds, T., Maher, C., Fraysse, F., Mellow, M. L., Smith, A. E., . . . Dumuid, D. (2023). The association between reallocations of time and health using compositional data analysis: a systematic scoping review with an interactive data exploration interface. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 20(127), 1-16.
DOI Scopus55 WoS49 Europe PMC54
2022 Mellow, M. L., Hull, M. J., Smith, A. E., Wycherley, T. P., Girard, D., & Crozier, A. J. (2022). Mixed-methods evaluation of Daily Moves, a community-based physical activity program for older adults. BMC Geriatrics, 22(1), 12 pages.
DOI Scopus3 WoS3 Europe PMC2
2022 Dumuid, D., Mellow, M. L., Stanford, T. E., Chong, K. H., Sawyer, S. M., Smith, A. E., . . . Olds, T. (2022). Many different roads lead to Rome: equivalence of time-use for activity, sedentary and sleep behaviours and dietary intake profiles among adolescents. Journal Of Activity, Sedentary And Sleep Behaviors, 1(1, article no. 6), 1-11.
DOI Scopus5 WoS3
2022 Smith, A. E., Wade, A. T., Olds, T., Dumuid, D., Breakspear, M. J., Laver, K., . . . Karayanidis, F. (2022). Characterising activity and diet compositions for dementia prevention: protocol for the ACTIVate prospective longitudinal cohort study. BMJ Open, 12(1), 1-12.
DOI Scopus9 WoS9 Europe PMC9
2022 Mellow, M. L., Crozier, A. J., Dumuid, D., Wade, A. T., Goldsworthy, M. R., Dorrian, J., & Smith, A. E. (2022). How are combinations of physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep related to cognitive function in older adults? A systematic review. Experimental Gerontology, 159(article no.111698), 111698-1-111698-17.
DOI Scopus56 WoS51 Europe PMC47
2022 Mellow, M. L., Dumuid, D., Wade, A. T., Stanford, T., Olds, T. S., Karayanidis, F., . . . Smith, A. E. (2022). Twenty-four-hour time-use composition and cognitive function in older adults: cross-sectional findings of the ACTIVate study. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 16(1051793), 1-14.
DOI Scopus16 WoS17 Europe PMC16
2022 Olds, T. S., Dumuid, D., Mellow, M. L., Keage, H. A. D., Wade, A. T., Hunter, M., . . . Smith, A. E. (2022). The perceived mental effort of everyday activities in older adults. Experimental Gerontology, 169(article no. 111971), 8 pages.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC1
2022 Dumuid, D., Mellow, M. L., Olds, T., Tregoweth, E., Greaves, D., Keage, H., & Smith, A. E. (2022). Does APOE epsilon 4 status change how 24-hour time-use composition is associated with cognitive function? An exploratory analysis among middle-to-older adults. Journal of Alzheimers Disease, 88(3), 1157-1165.
DOI Scopus19 WoS17 Europe PMC19
2021 Gavelin, H. M., Dong, C., Minkov, R., Bahar Fuchs, A., Ellis, K. A., Lautenschlager, N. T., . . . Lampit, A. (2021). Combined physical and cognitive training for older adults with and without cognitive impairment: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Ageing Research Reviews, 66(101232), 1-15.
DOI Scopus292 WoS274 Europe PMC235
2020 Mouatt, B., Smith, A. E., Mellow, M. L., Parfitt, G., Smith, R. T., & Stanton, T. R. (2020). The Use of Virtual Reality to Influence Motivation, Affect, Enjoyment, and Engagement During Exercise: A Scoping Review. Frontiers in Virtual Reality, 1(564664), 23 pages.
DOI Scopus156 WoS126
2019 Mellow, M. L., Dumuid, D., Thacker, J. S., Dorrian, J., & Smith, A. E. (2019). Building your best day for healthy brain aging—The neuroprotective effects of optimal time use. Maturitas, 125, 33-40.
DOI Scopus16 WoS15 Europe PMC13
2019 Mellow, M. L., Goldsworthy, M. R., Coussens, S., & Smith, A. E. (2019). Acute aerobic exercise and neuroplasticity of the motor cortex: a systematic review. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 23(4), 408-414.
DOI Scopus60 WoS53 Europe PMC52

Year Citation
2025 Mellow, M., Dumuid, D., Olds, T., Stanford, T., Keage, H., Karayanidis, F., & Smith, A. (2025). Intensity and Domain-Based 24-Hr Activity Patterns Differ in Their Links to Cognitive and Cardiometabolic Health. In INNOVATION IN AGING Vol. 9 (pp. 1 page). OXFORD UNIV PRESS.
DOI

Year Citation
2023 Mellow, M., Dumuid, D., Olds, T., Stanford, T., Dorrian, J., Wade, A., . . . Smith, A. (2023). Cross-sectional associations between 24-hour time-use composition, grey matter volume and cognitive function in healthy older adults.
DOI
2021 Smith, A., Wade, A., Olds, T., Dumuid, D., Breakspear, M., Laver, K., . . . Karayanidis, F. (2021). Optimising activity and diet compositions for dementia prevention: Protocol for the ACTIVate prospective longitudinal cohort study.
DOI
  • Dr Maree Farrow Memorial Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Dementia Australia Research Foundation, 01/07/2026 - 01/07/2029
  • Dementia Australia Research Foundation Project Grant, Dementia Australia Research Foundation, 01/04/2026-01/04/2027
  • E O Myers Trust and SA Cardiovascular Research Network Travel Grant, National Heart Foundation of Australia (South Australian Division), 05/04/2025 - 31/12/2025
  • Emerging Researchers in Ageing Travel Grant, Australian Association of Gerontology, 2024.
  • National Health and Medical Research Council Ideas Grant, 2024: 'Not everyone has the same 24 hours in a day: addressing time inequality through AI-based personalised time-use interventions'.
  • Maggie Beer Foundation analysis and review, The Maggie Beer Foundation Ltd, 09/10/2020 - 01/03/2021

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2025 Co-Supervisor Small Steps towards dementia risk reduction Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mrs Alison Doyle
2025 Co-Supervisor Cross sectional associations between weather and time-use in older adults across activity contexts and rural and urban settings - Master Part Time Miss Georgia Crossman
2025 Co-Supervisor Optimising time use for multiple health outcomes Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Amy Elizabeth Rees
2025 Co-Supervisor Cross sectional associations between weather and time-use in older adults across activity contexts and rural and urban settings Master of Philosophy Master Part Time Miss Georgia Crossman
2024 Co-Supervisor Addressing Dementia Risk in Rural Australia Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Britt Jane Burton

Connect With Me

External Profiles

Other Links