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Marjan Biria

Research Fellow of Mental Health Neuroscience, UCL
I have a Bachelor's degree in Clinical Psychology and a Master's degree in Neuroscience. My master's project was about predicting schizophrenia development in patients with a high genetic predisposition using high-density EEG with 256 electrodes. I also have a background in Computer Science.

During my PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Cambridge, under the supervision of Professor Trevor Robbins and with Professor Barbara Sahakian as my advisor, I studied compulsive behaviour in patients with OCD using clinical scales and a computer task to measure habitual versus goal-directed behaviour. We used 7T proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H-MRS) to measure neurochemical imbalance in brain regions important in the pathophysiology of OCD.

After designing and developing a new computer paradigm to measure checking behaviour (one of the most common symptoms of OCD) in a laboratory setting, I also studied the relationship between brain metabolites and checking behaviour in patients with OCD using 7T 1H-MRS.

Additionally, I also studies OCD symptoms of clozapine-treated patients with schizophrenia, showing OCD symptoms as a consequence of their treatment, under clinical supervision of Dr Emilio Fernandez-Egea. We used clinical scales and novel computer tasks to characterise clinical symptoms in patients with OCD, schizo-OCS, pure schizophrenia compared to each other and to healthy controls.

At the moment I am a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at UCL, working with Professor Argyris Stringers and Dr Georgina Krebs. I am designing a new computer task that allows us to capture the relevant factors underlying improvements in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and model them using mathematical models.

Economy

Gold Prices Surge as Rate Cut Bets Strengthen Amid Trade War Escalation

Gold prices climbed in Asian trading on Thursday, driven by softer U.S. inflation data that reinforced expectations of Federal Reserve rate cuts. Spot gold rose 0.4% to $2,945.18 per ounce, while April gold futures gained...

Australia’s Stock Market Nears Correction as U.S. Tariffs Shake Investor Confidence

Australias SP/ASX 200 index is on the brink of correction territory, tumbling 9.8% from its all-time high on February 14, driven by escalating trade tensions following U.S. President Donald Trumps new tariffs. As of 03:20...

South Korea Warns of Heightened Currency Volatility Amid U.S.-China Trade War

South Koreas central bank cautioned that escalating tensions in the U.S.-China trade war could prolong market instability, increase capital outflow risks, and amplify dollar-won exchange rate volatility. The Bank of Korea...

Asian Currencies Stabilize as Dollar Holds Gains Amid Trade Tensions

Asian currencies saw slight gains on Thursday after recent losses, but market sentiment remained cautious due to rising global trade tensions and fears of a U.S. recession. Meanwhile, the dollar steadied following a mild...

Oil Prices Dip Amid Recession Fears, Rising Supply, and Trade War Concerns

Oil prices edged lower in Asian trading Thursday, easing after a recent rebound as concerns over a potential U.S. recession and increasing production weighed on sentiment. Brent crude futures slipped 0.2% to $70.83 per...

Politics

India May Limit Starlink’s Satellite Spectrum to 5 Years, Defying Musk’s 20-Year Request

Indias telecom regulator, TRAI, is set to recommend a five-year allocation for satellite broadband spectrum, challenging Elon Musks Starlink, which sought a 20-year permit. This move aims to assess market adoption before...

Trump’s Bold Tax Plan: No Taxes for Americans Earning Under $150K

U.S. President Donald Trump aims to eliminate taxes for individuals earning less than $150,000 annually, according to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in a recent CBS News interview. I know what his goal isno tax for...

Germany Eyes Historic €500B Fund Amid Political Showdown

Germanys outgoing Bundestag will debate a 500 billion infrastructure fund and major borrowing reforms on Thursday, a move that could reshape Europes largest economy. Friedrich Merz, the conservative leader who won last...

Walmart Faces Scrutiny in China Over Supplier Price Cuts Amid Tariffs

Chinese officials met with Walmart (NYSE:WMT) this week to address reports that the U.S. retailer pressured Chinese suppliers to cut prices to offset U.S. tariffs. The meeting, held on March 11, was confirmed by Walmart...

G7 Foreign Ministers Meet Amid Rising Tensions Over Ukraine, Tariffs, and US Policy Shifts

Foreign ministers from the G7Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the U.S.along with the EU, gather in La Malbaie, Canada, for crucial talks as tensions rise over U.S. foreign policy shifts under President...

Science

Leonardo da Vinci’s incredible studies of human anatomy still don’t get the recognition they deserve

Wikimedia, CC BY-SA The mere mention of Leonardo da Vinci evokes genius. We know him as a polymath whose interests spanned astronomy, geology, hydrology, engineering and physics. As a painter, his Mona Lisa and Last Supper...

One of the largest searches for alien life started 30 years ago. Its legacy lives on today

In February 1995, a small research organisation known as the SETI Institute launched what was then the most comprehensive search for an answer to a centuries-old question: are we alone in the universe? This Sunday marks...

South African telescope discovers a giant galaxy that’s 32 times bigger than Earth’s

Inkathazos glowing plasma jets are shown in red and yellow. The starlight from other surrounding galaxies can be seen in the background. K.K.L Charlton (UCT), MeerKAT, HSC, CARTA, IDIA, CC BY You may not know it, but right...

It’s science, not fiction: high-tech drones may soon be fighting bushfires in Australia

Picture this. Its a summer evening in Australia. A dry lightning storm is about to sweep across remote, tinder-dry bushland. The next day is forecast to be hot and windy. A lightning strike tonight could spark a fire that...

Earth is bombarded with rocks from space – but who gets to keep these ultimate antiques?

Every day, about 48.5 tonnes of space rock hurtle towards Earth. Meteorites that fall into the ocean are never recovered. But the ones that crash on land can spark debates about legal ownership. Globally, meteorite hunting...

Technology

WeRide Expands Robotaxi Services in Beijing After Securing Key Permit

WeRide Corp (NASDAQ: WRD) has received approval to launch commercial robotaxi services in Beijing, marking a significant milestone in its autonomous ride-hailing expansion. The newly granted permit allows WeRide to operate...

SpaceX Delays NASA Crew-10 Launch Amid Technical Issue, Stranded Astronauts Await Return

SpaceX postponed the NASA Crew-10 mission set to bring back astronauts stranded on the International Space Station (ISS), citing a technical issue. The launch, originally scheduled for Wednesday night from Kennedy Space...

AI Boom Fuels 10% Growth in Semiconductor Market for 2025, but Challenges Remain

The global semiconductor market is set to grow 9.5% in 2025, driven by soaring demand for AI and data center chips, according to ING analysts. While this growth lags the 11.2% forecast by the World Semiconductor Trade...

TSMC Proposes Joint Venture to Run Intel’s U.S. Foundry with Nvidia, AMD, and Broadcom

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (NYSE:TSM) is in early talks with Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA), AMD (NASDAQ:AMD), Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO), and Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) to form a joint venture (JV) to manage Intels...

Salesforce Invests $1B in Singapore to Advance AI and Digital Innovation

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) is making a major investment in Singapore, pledging $1 billion over the next five years to accelerate artificial intelligence (AI) development and digital transformation. The move reinforces the...