Meet the team
We are a team of academic researchers based at Loughborough University, UK, in the Department of Mathematics Education. Our work is generously supported by the Higher Education Innovation Fund and the Midlands Graduate School ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership.
Loughborough University Team
Dr Kinga Morsanyi
Dr Morsanyi is a Reader in Mathematical Cognition, with a specialist interest in high-level thinking processes, and both the typical and atypical development of cognitive skills, and especially mathematics skills. You can read more about her background and research interests here.
Professor Korbinian Moeller
Professor Moeller’s research focuses on the cognitive and neural underpinnings of mathematical skills. He pursues these interests employing the latest behavioural (e.g., eye-tracking) and neuro-cognitive methods (e.g., fMRI/DTI, computational modelling) in experimental but also cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. You can read more about Professor Moeller’s background and research interests here.
Jessica Maisey
Having completed her BSc in Psychology in 2022, and MSc in Social Science Research in 2024 at Loughborough University, Jessica is currently a PhD researcher in Mathematical Cognition. Jessica’s research focus is on standardising Numeralis for secondary school students. She is also actively collaborating with the Dyscalculia Network on designing resources related to dyscalculia for schoolteachers.
George Thoma
With a BSc in Mathematics (University of Ioannina, Greece), MA in Mathematics Education (University of East Anglia, UK) — and a couple years teaching secondary mathematics — George completed his PhD at Loughborough University. With a focus on mathematics education through technology, his research has been on problem-solving, fractions, and video games.
Innsbruck University Team
Dr. Verena Dresen
Dr. Dresen is a clinical psychologist, learning therapist, and senior scientist at the University of Innsbruck. Her expertise lies in the diagnosis and treatment of neuromental developmental disorders (such as ADHD, autism, and learning disabilities). Her research focuses on these disorders, particularly in young adults.
Laura Staller
Laura earned her MSc in Psychology from the University of Innsbruck in 2024. She is a trained dyscalculia therapist and is currently training to become a clinical psychologist. In her doctoral studies at the University of Innsbruck, she focuses on neuromental developmental disorders, particularly dyscalculia and ADHD.
For more information on our collaboration with Innsbruck please visit their website here.
External collaborator
Dr Natalia Dubinkina
Dr Dubinkina holds a Masters degree from Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands, and a PhD from KU Leuven, Belgium. She has a specialist expertise in ordering and sequencing skills, and in the emotional factors affecting mathematics performance, such as math and test anxiety. Dr Dubinkina had worked as a Research Associate on the Numeralis project at Loughborough University, before starting her current Research Associate position at Moscow State University.
Florence University Team
Caterina Primi
Caterina is Full Professor of Psychometrics at the Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, Florence, Italy. Her research focuses on the development and adaptation of psychometric instruments based on Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory. She also examines factors related to statistics learning and mathematics anxiety.
Maria Anna Donati
Maria is an Assistant Professor of Psychometrics at the Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, Florence, Italy. Her work focuses on the development and adaptation of psychometric instruments within Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory frameworks, as well as the design and evaluation of psychological interventions.
Laura Di Leonardo
Laura holds a Master’s degree in Clinical and Health Psychology from the University of Pisa and is a graduate in Clinical and Health Psychology from the University of Pisa and a Postgraduate Research Fellow at the Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, Italy. Her research focuses on the assessment of mathematics anxiety in primary school children, employing traditional paper-and-pencil measures, multi-informant approaches, and game-based assessment tools.
For more information on our collaboration with Florence please visit their website here.