I initially trained at Monash in the '80s with a PhD in experimental psycholinguistics, and I developed an interest in neuropsychology while on an MRC postdoctoral fellowship at Birkbeck College, University of London. I subsequently studied for my MSc in clinical neuropsychology at The University of Melbourne and I have since combined clinical practice in psychiatric and neuroscience settings with neuropsychological research, mainly on memory and language.

I took up a CORE position at the Macquarie Centre for Cognitive Science (MACCS) in 2007, with responsibility for developing a clinical neuropsychology service at Macquarie University Hospital. From 2016-2023 I was Neuropsychology Clinical Discipline Head with MQ Health (see https://www.mqhealth.org.au/services/find-a-service/neuropsychology-clinic), and from 2012-2016 I was Director of Clinical Neuropsychology in the Department of Psychology, responsible for the postgraduate training courses in neuropsychology. I was also a Chief Investigator with the Memory Program of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders (CCD; 2011-2018). I retired in May 2024 and am currently Honorary Professor in the School of Psychological Sciences.

My research interests are broad in scope, but many projects have a unifying theme in terms of developing theoretically-informed tests of memory. Another theme focuses on early detection of Alzheimer's disease (mainly through my role as Co-Leader of the Clinical and Cognitive Stream in the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers & Lifestyle [AIBL] Study of Ageing). Recently I have focused on understanding the impact of hearing loss on cognition, and particularly, how hearing loss relates to risk of developing dementia. I am also engaged in studies with neurosurgical colleagues which seek to characterise cognition following surgical treatments.

For the past 17 years I have supervised combined degree (MClinNeuro/PhD) and Masters (MClinNeuro) students, with a focus on memory processing and dementia. Other current projects have encompassed epilepsy, cerebrovascular disease, and hearing loss.