The MARCS Institute

01/06/2026

Translating research jargon literally

28/05/2026

🧠 Could your hobbies help reduce dementia risk?

Find out more: tinyurl.com/3hwem8mh

Article by Dr Ruth Brookman and A/Prof Celia Harris

15/05/2026

In the age of AI translation, some things just can't be translated.

The pause before the laughter.
The feeling of being understood.
The way a new language changes how you see the world. 🌎

More about the benefits of learning languages:
➡️ https://tinyurl.com/bdey7cv6

Article by Oliva Maurice and A/Prof Mark Antoniou

Western Sydney University | The Conversation Australia + NZ

06/05/2026

How interdisciplinary are we?

At MARCS, our research spans cognitive neuroscience, developmental psychology, aged care, communication, assistive technology, and neuromorphic systems inspired by the brain - working together to understand how we think, learn, interact, and adapt across the lifespan.

Different expertise. Endless possibilities.

▶️ Follow us as we spotlight our research community.

Western Sydney University

29/04/2026

Proud to see our students showcasing their research at the Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) 2026 Conference in Lyon, France.

Eman Shatnawi presented her poster, “Implementing Person-Centred Care in Aged Care: A Narrative Review of Staff Wellbeing & Organisational Influences,” highlighting the critical role of workforce wellbeing in delivering quality dementia care. During the conference, she also had the opportunity to meet and speak with Princess Muna Al Hussein of Jordan, a global ambassador for ADI since 2023.

Mina Aghaei presented her PhD research, “Dementia Care Stakeholders’ Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence-Enhanced Assistive Technology,” as part of the ‘Advancing & Integrating Assistive Technologies’ session. She also contributed to a panel and demo.

Their contributions reflect the depth and impact of research at MARCS in care, technology, and person-centred approaches.

27/04/2026

24/04/2026

👏👏👏 Go, Team ! Catch the feature tonight on Channel's 9 A Current Affair (Friday 24 Apr, 7pm AEST).

23/04/2026

Amid growing public speculation about Donald Trump’s behaviour, researchers at Western Sydney University examine whether conditions like frontotemporal dementia can – or should – be used to explain it.

“Speculation about dementia may feel like a way of making sense of behaviour that is difficult, unsettling or even morally questionable. But it is a poor substitute for clinical rigour.

For those living with frontotemporal dementia, it risks turning a serious neurological disease into a casual metaphor that explains little and harms a lot.”

✨ Read the article: https://tinyurl.com/23pv3946

The Conversation Australia + NZ

Blaming behaviour we don’t like on a disease means less accountability, and is bad for those who live with dementia. It’s also often inaccurate.

12/03/2026

Out in the community today! 🤝 Our Age Lab teams were across two locations – the Seniors Expo at Parramatta Library and the Seniors Fair at Wenty Leagues.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to chat with us and share your stories. We hope you enjoyed the reflective origami activity and the live demo of our latest project.

It was especially meaningful to hear participants reflect on their own memories and experiences. These conversations help shape the work we do and ensure it stays connected to the communities we serve. 🙌

Special thanks to the organisers for the wonderful platform to share our research: City of Parramatta and Wenty Leagues

04/03/2026

🏆 Congratulations to Martina Ventura on winning this year’s Denis Burnham Award for Doctoral Student Career Transition!

Martina’s research explores the neural basis of object categorisation in the infant brain – advancing our understanding of how young minds make sense of the world. We look forward to her continued contributions to the field.

More about the award: https://tinyurl.com/DenisBurnhamAward

🎬 We had our very own Oscar moment, with Professors Denis Burnham and Chris Davis jointly presenting the award – catch the iconic line, “I’d love to have an envelope!” in the reel.

Western Sydney University