Below is a list of the students who started with the ACRC Academy in September 2021. Below you will find out their backgrounds, their PhD, who their supervisors are, and which workpackages they are linked with. Music and the ageing brain: can personalised music provision support communication skills and quality of life? Anna Bryan has a BA in Music from Columbia University and an MSc in Music by Research from the University of Edinburgh. During her MSc, Anna worked on a project with Dr Tom Russ and Dr Katie Overy that explored the use of music in Edinburgh care homes.Supervisors: Dr Tom Russ (School of Neurological and Cardiovascular Sciences), Dr Katie Overy (Reid School of Music), Prof Heather Wilkinson (School of Health in Social Science), Dr Sarah Rhynas (School of Health in Social Science)Workpackage: Understanding the Person in Context, New Models of Care Anna Bryan Machine learning - driven gait analysis for at-home health Chris Lochhead has worked in various roles in care homes for the last 7-8 years whilst working his way through university, doing a BSc Hons in Computer games technology at UWS and getting his Master's degree in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Strathclyde.Supervisors: Prof Bob Fisher (School of Informatics), Dr Larissa Pschetz (Edinburgh College of Art), Dr Laura Sevilla-Lara (School of Informatics).Workpackage: Integrated Technologies of Care Chris Lochhead Implementation of a digital information resource for homeless people in Scotland Emily Adams has an undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science and spent 5 years working in the development of global health programmes and policy internationally. Her current role in homelessness crisis intervention in Edinburgh will inform the direction of her PhD project.Supervisors: Prof Stewart Mercer (School of Population Health Sciences), Dr Eddie Donaghy (School of Population Health Sciences), Prof Caroline Sanders (University of Manchester, School of Health Sciences), Dr Maria Wolters (School of Informatics), Dr Helen Eborall (School of Population Health Sciences)Workpackage: New Models of Care Emily Adams Improving prediction of ageing outcomes by integrating social, environmental, and genetic information Jonny Flint has a BSc in Psychology and MSc in Developmental Psychopathology. He has experience with twin studies, molecular genetics, and structural equation modelling, and is interested in exploring ageing outcomes and biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases.Supervisors: Dr Michelle Luciano (School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences), Dr Tom Russ (School of Neurological and Cardiovascular Sciences), Dr Alan Marshall (School of Social and Political Science), Dr Chloe Fawns-Ritchie (School of Philosophy, Psychology and Langauge Sciences.)Workpackage: Data-Driven Insight and Prediction Jonny Flint What can data tell us about our frailty? Lara Johnson has an Msc in Psychology of Individual Differences. Previously she worked at Public Health Scotland and in consulting in a variety of analytical, management and business development roles. For her PhD Lara will use statistical machine learning techniques to investigate measures of frailty in ageing populations.Supervisors: Dr Sohan Seth (School of Informatics), Prof Alan Marshall (School of Social and Political Science), Dr Atul Anand (School of Neurological and Cardiovascular sciences) Prof Chris WIlliams (School of Informatics)Workpackage: Data-Driven Insight and Prediction Lara Johnson This article was published on Friday 28 November 2025
