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Dementia Researcher Blogs

Dementia Researcher Blogs

Written by: Dementia Researcher
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Dementia Researcher blogs are written and then narrated by the authors. Through this podcast channel, we share the narrations, so you can listen back where ever you get your podcasts, as well as on our website - careers, research and your science. Brought to you by www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk - everything you need, all in one place.Copyright 2023 All rights reserved. Careers Economics Personal Success Science
Episodes
  • Rahul Sidhu - Overcoming the Fear of Public Speaking
    May 21 2026

    Rahul Sidhu narrates his blog written for Dementia Researcher.

    Rahul used to dread public speaking more than data analysis or academic scrutiny. A few years on, he gives talks to full rooms, chairs sessions at international conferences in Toronto and Washington DC, and speaks as a Global Ambassador for the Alzheimer's Association. In this blog he shares the seven things that got him there, from accepting that nobody starts good at this, to building slides that help rather than hinder, to speaking with energy instead of just slowing down. His point throughout is that strong speaking is a trainable skill, not a talent you either have or you don't. The nerves never fully went away. He just learnt to work with them, and so can you.

    https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/blog-overcoming-the-fear-of-public-speaking/

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    ​Rahul Sidhu is a PhD student at The University of Sheffield, focusing on the effects of heart disease on dementia in preclinical models of Alzheimer's disease. His research aims to uncover how cardiovascular health influences neurodegenerative conditions, potentially leading to novel therapeutic strategies.​ Find Rahul on LinkedIn

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    Enjoy listening? We're always looking for new bloggers, drop us a line. http://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk

    This podcast is brought to you by University College London in association with the National Institute for Health and Care Research, Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia, who we thank for their ongoing support.

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    7 mins
  • Dr Clíona Farrell - It’s getting (too) hot in here; the climate crisis and brain health
    May 19 2026

    Dr Clíona Farrell narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher.

    Clíona writes from this year's Hot Brain conference, an annual meeting hosted by UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and The Lancet Neurology that asks what the climate crisis is doing to our brains. She walks through what's already known (air pollution is now a recognised modifiable risk factor for dementia), what's emerging (people with dementia were among the leading causes of excess deaths during the 2022 UK heatwave), and the questions still wide open. She also covers thermoregulation research, the case for saunas and hot-water immersion as protective strategies, and a quietly important methodological point for every lab: stop writing "room temperature" in your methods section. A blog for anyone who has been quietly despairing about the climate and wondering what it has to do with dementia research.

    https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/blog-its-getting-too-hot-in-here-the-climate-crisis-brain-health/

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    Dr Clíona Farrell is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the UK Dementia Research Institute at University College London. Her work focuses on understanding neuroinflammation in Down syndrome, both prior to, and in response to, Alzheimer’s disease pathology. Originally from Dublin, Ireland, Clíona completed her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience in Trinity College, and then worked as a research assistant in the Royal College of Surgeons studying ALS and Parkinson’s disease. She also knows the secret behind scopping the perfect 99 ice-cream cone.

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    Enjoy listening? We're always looking for new bloggers, drop us a line. http://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk

    This podcast is brought to you by University College London in association with the National Institute for Health and Care Research, Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia, who we thank for their ongoing support.

    --

    Leave us a Tip

    https://dementia-researcher.captivate.fm/support

    Follow us on social media:

    • https://www.instagram.com/dementia_researcher/
    • https://www.facebook.com/Dementia.Researcher/
    • https://www.twitter.com/demrescommunity
    • https://www.linkedin.com/company/dementia-researcher
    • https://bsky.app/profile/dementiaresearcher.bsky.social

    Download and Register with our Community App:

    https://www.onelink.to/dementiaresearcher

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    7 mins
  • Dr Yvonne Couch - The Contradictions & Challenges of the Junior PI
    May 14 2026

    Dr Yvonne Couch narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher.

    Yvonne reflects on the contradiction at the heart of being a junior PI: you are expected to mentor, lead and invest in the people who join your lab, but you also need them to produce so you can publish, win the next grant and stay employed. Yvonne writes about losing an RA she could not afford to keep, the structural way junior labs train people up only to lose them to bigger, better-resourced ones, and her struggle to define what her job actually is when the criteria keep shifting. She lands on her friend Lorraine's eulogy exercise as a way through it.

    https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/blog-the-contradictions-challenges-of-the-junior-pi/

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    Dr Yvonne Couch is a Research Fellow and Associate Professor at the University of Oxford. Yvonne studies the role of extracellular vesicles and their role in changing the function of the vasculature after stroke, aiming to discover why the prevalence of dementia after stroke is three times higher than the average. It is her passion for problem solving and love of science that drives her, in advancing our knowledge of disease. Yvonne writes about her work, academic life, and careers as she takes a new road into independent research.

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    Enjoy listening? We're always looking for new bloggers, drop us a line. http://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk

    This podcast is brought to you by University College London in association with the National Institute for Health and Care Research, Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia, who we thank for their ongoing support.

    --

    Leave us a Tip

    https://dementia-researcher.captivate.fm/support

    Follow us on social media:

    • https://www.instagram.com/dementia_researcher/
    • https://www.facebook.com/Dementia.Researcher/
    • https://www.twitter.com/demrescommunity
    • https://www.linkedin.com/company/dementia-researcher
    • https://bsky.app/profile/dementiaresearcher.bsky.social

    Download and Register with our Community App:

    https://www.onelink.to/dementiaresearcher

    Show More Show Less
    10 mins
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