University of Otago student Ronan McNeill has a passion for dementia research stemming from the mental decline of his family members.
Despite preparing to spend the next three or four years at the University of Oxford, University of Otago alum Ronan McNeill is already planning to return back home.
McNeill’s passion for research into dementia has been spurred by the mental decline of family members.
“My family tree is much like a kauri, where it is quite tall before it starts to branch out, and saying that, I have quite a lot of aged family, and I think that played a pivotal role in my research interests and passion,” said McNeill.
“I’m passionate about developing advanced neuroimaging tools to improve clinical monitoring, early detection, and effective treatment of dementia.”
His first major Otago study, alongside Professor Liana Machado, was investigating the neuropsychological effects of COVID-19 on cognitive performance.
Later, along with Dr Olivia Harrison, he worked on a machine learning predictive modelling study, integrating conventional science and Māori understandings of cognitive decline determinants.
“Otago has gifted me with the interdisciplinary training in neuroscience, exercise physiology, psychology, statistics, and computer science, which both equips me with the analytical skills essential for this research, and a comprehensive understanding of the brain as part of interconnected physiological, behavioural, social, and cultural systems.”
From early October, McNeill will be based at Balliol College at Oxford. There he will start studying towards a PhD at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences.
"I'm going over to tackle my dream project. The underlying theory is that our brains' immune cells and neuroinflammatory changes go horribly awry in dementia-related diseases, which is a major player behind the damage and devastation that we see,” he added.
“In order to develop treatments that effectively target this response, we need a clinically usable and non-invasive tool to visualise it. So that, fundamentally, is what we're trying to do."
McNeill is attending Oxford through the support of both the William Georgetti Scholarship and the LB Wood Scholarship.
He said Oxford’s FMRIB (Functional MRI of the Brain) team develops the MRI processing and analysis software library (FSL), which he uses at the University of Otago.
“I aspire to join this team of software developers because of their alignment with my values of translational, accessible, equitable, and clinically practical research.”
Born in Invercargill, McNeill attended Southland Boys’ High School, and at 15 he moved out of home to Dunedin, where he attended King’s High School.
He’s the first from his family to attend university and said he has loved his time at Otago.
McNeill attended Aquinas College and later returned as a Residential Assistant (RA) there.
“It’s a pretty formative experience. I had an amazing time. I’d say it was a very challenging role. You have to be there for fellow students during their difficult times as well as the good. Lots of them are new students moving away from home for the first time, feeling very homesick and finding themselves navigating a very new and sometimes brash environment,” he said.
“It had some of the best moments of any job I’ve had, but also some of the toughest. Along with helping first years adjust, we got to jump in a van and take a trip down to the beach and go out for ice cream, so pretty fortunate to call that work.”
Ronan McNeill was quick to thank staff from the Department of Psychology, especially his supervisor, Dr Olivia Harrison, along with Dr Narun Pat and Dr Owen Jones.
A keen runner, he has completed ultra-marathons and competed in multi-sport events. Also, in his own spare time, he has helped run Minds in Motion Cognitive Simulation Therapy programmes for Alzheimer’s Otago.
“That’s a core part of my research drive, to work in the community in a hands-on way. We do a lot of community engagement events and things like that, which is a big part of what I am interested in outside of study.”
He also loves to read, plays hockey, and “a little guitar”.
During his Otago studies (BA/BSc Hons), McNeill received a Leaders of Tomorrow Entrance Scholarship, the Council Commendation for Exceptional Performance, the University Scholarship in Science, a Summer Research Scholarship, and the University of Otago Scholarship in Arts.
“I'd love to come back home to Dunedin, to Otago. I love the city; it's the most beautiful place in the world. I think the mountains, the harbour, we're so lucky. And to have it right at our doorstep at the campus is just exceptional. I would eventually love to hopefully get employed back at the University.”
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