Dr Maddison Mellow is a cognitive neuroscientist with expertise in healthy ageing and dementia risk reduction. She completed a Bachelor of Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience (Honours) in 2018, followed by her PhD (conferred in 2023) at the University of South Australia. Her PhD thesis investigated how the balance of physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep in the 24-hr day (i.e., 24-hr time-use composition) is associated with cognitive function, brain structure and brain plasticity in older adults without dementia. This work was funded by a Dementia Australia Research Foundation PhD scholarship.
Since 2023 she has been employed as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Alliance for Research in Exercise,... Read more
About me
Dr Maddison Mellow is a cognitive neuroscientist with expertise in healthy ageing and dementia risk reduction. She completed a Bachelor of Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience (Honours) in 2018, followed by her PhD (conferred in 2023) at the University of South Australia. Her PhD thesis investigated how the balance of physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep in the 24-hr day (i.e., 24-hr time-use composition) is associated with cognitive function, brain structure and brain plasticity in older adults without dementia. This work was funded by a Dementia Australia Research Foundation PhD scholarship.
Since 2023 she has been employed as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity (ARENA) Research Centre. Her postdoctoral research program explores the links between lifestyle and brain health in older adulthood, and the factors which impact this relationship (e.g., health, sociodemographic characteristics, and genetic risk factors for dementia). Using this knowledge, her research aims to create dementia risk reduction tools and programs which are personalised to individual characteristics, preferences and needs. Having been born and raised in rural South Australia, Dr Mellow is particularly passionate about ensuring rural Australians are given the tools and knowledge to age well in place, and are not left behind in health research.
To date, she has been awarded >$1.5million in competitive research funding and travel grants, including an Australian Association of Gerontology Emerging Researchers in Ageing travel grant (2024), an EO Myers and South Australian Cardiovascular Research Fund travel grant (2025), and as co-investigator on a National Health and Medical Research Council Ideas Grant (2024). Dr Mellow has presented her work at international scientific conferences including the Alzheimer's Association International Conference and International Network of Time-Use Epidemiologists Annual Meeting.
She actively co-supervises a number of PhD candidates and Honours students from cognitive neuroscience, clinical exercise physiology, occupational therapy and physiotherapy backgrounds.
About me
Doctor of Philosophy University of South Australia
Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) (Cognitive Neuroscience) University of South Australia
Research
Excludes commercial-in-confidence projects.
Heart Foundation Travel Grant, National Heart Foundation of Australia (South Australian Division), 05/04/2025 - 31/12/2025
Maggie Beer Foundation analysis and review, The Maggie Beer Foundation Ltd, 09/10/2020 - 01/03/2021
Research
Research outputs for the last seven years are shown below. Some long-standing staff members may have older outputs included. To see earlier years visit ORCID or Scopus
Open access indicates that an output is open access.
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2022 |
Open access
16
12
16
|
| 2022 |
Open access
49
41
20
|
| 2022 |
Open access
11
9
6
|
| 2021 |
Open access
243
231
24
|
| 2020 |
Open access
54
47
119
|
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2025 |
Open access
|
| 2025 |
Open access
3
2
|
| 2024 |
Open access
11
7
9
|
| 2024 |
Open access
2
2
431
|
| 2024 |
Open access
3
3
8
|
| 2024 |
7
6
6
|
| 2024 |
Open access
4
4
5
|
| 2024 |
Open access
1
1
3
|
| 2023 |
Open access
37
25
21
|
| 2022 |
Open access
16
12
16
|
| 2022 |
Open access
49
41
20
|
| 2022 |
Open access
11
9
6
|
| 2022 |
Open access
3
3
5
|
| 2022 |
Open access
1
1
5
|
| 2022 |
Open access
7
7
11
|
| 2021 |
Open access
243
231
24
|
| 2020 |
Open access
54
47
119
|
| 2020 |
Open access
114
30
|
| 2019 |
Open access
13
12
104
|
Winner of Higher Degree Researcher of the Year, 2022 Research and Enterprise Awards, University of South Australia
Joint winner of PhD student of the Year, Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity (ARENA) annual awards.
External engagement & recognition
| Organisation | Country |
|---|---|
| AdventHealth Research Institute | FLORIDA |
| Cornell University | UNITED STATES |
| CSIRO Australia (Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research organisation) | AUSTRALIA |
| Diabetes SA | AUSTRALIA |
| Flinders University | AUSTRALIA |
| Humboldt University Berlin | GERMANY |
| Hunter Medical Research Institute, Australia | AUSTRALIA |
| Murdoch University | AUSTRALIA |
| North-Eastern University | THAILAND |
| Onkaparinga Council - Noarlunga Office | AUSTRALIA |
| The Maggie Beer Foundation Ltd | AUSTRALIA |
| University of Adelaide | AUSTRALIA |
| University of British Columbia | CANADA |
| University of Granada | SPAIN |
| University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | UNITED STATES |
| University of Kansas | UNITED STATES |
| University of Leicester | UNITED KINGDOM |
| University of Melbourne | AUSTRALIA |
| University of Newcastle | AUSTRALIA |
| University of Pittsburgh | UNITED STATES |
| University of South Australia | AUSTRALIA |
| University of Victoria | CANADA |
| Victoria University | AUSTRALIA |
| Wake Forest University | UNITED STATES |
Teaching & student supervision
Supervisions from 2010 shown
| Thesis title | Student status |
|---|---|
| Addressing Dementia Risk in Rural Australia | Current |
| Optimising time use for multiple health outcomes | Current |
| Small Steps towards dementia risk reduction | Current |
| Nourishing the mind: exploring the relationship between dietary patterns, cognition, and brain volume in older adults | Completed |
