Cynthia Cabañas

Cynthia Cabañas is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Communication at Vrije Univeristeit Amsterdam. She obtained her PhD in Psychology (specialization in Film Cognition) 2024 at Birkbeck, University of London (UK) under the supervision of Dr Tim J. Smith and Dr Atsushi Senju. She studied bilingual Psychology at the Complutense University of Madrid and a MA in Clinical Neuropsychology (UCJC) before completing a dual Masters in Brain and Mind Sciences at University College London and Université Pierre et Marie Curie and École Normale Supérieure. She has worked as a research assistant in the Motivation Brain and Behavior team at the Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière (ICM) in Paris (France). In October 2020 she received funding from the ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council in the United Kingdom) to pursue her PhD. In 2023, she carried out an international research visit at the Sagol Brain Institute in Tel Aviv (Israel). While finishing her PhD, in 2024 she obtained an MA in Film and TV from Universidad Carlos III of Madrid to complement her previous background in psychology/neuroscience. She is interested in impact of film narratives in different cognitive processes in both neurotypical and neurodiverse populations and the formal elements of film that filmmakers use to engage and shape these processes. As a researcher, she considers essential to promote and disseminate the role of women in research and provide tools and opportunities to the next generations of researchers.