Dr Lorna Ginnell

I studied Neuroscience at Trinity College, Dublin and a Masters in Human Cognitive Neuropsychology at the University of Edinburgh, before being awarded a PhD in Clinical Brain Sciences from the University of Edinburgh in 2022.

I have worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Liverpool, and at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne and as a Trial Manager at the University of Glasgow, before joining the University of Stirling in 2025.

My current postdoctoral research, alongside Dr Line Case, on the INSPIRE MSK project focuses on the role of executive functions development in young people’s self-management of chronic pain.

I am interested in how early life illness or adversity and the social and environmental factors that intersect with these experiences, can shape brain development and health outcomes. I aim to identify protective factors and targets for support, and to collaborate with children and families as research partners. Previously I have worked with various child health populations including infants born preterm, children with congenital heart disease, care experienced young people, and infants growing up in low-income countries. My current research focuses on the role of executive functions in young people's self-management of chronic-pain.