DrNicholas Ryan

Dr Nicholas Ryan (PhD, MPsych, MAPS) is a Clinical Neuropsychologist and Senior Lecturer (Teaching and Research) in the School of Psychology at Deakin University. He also holds honorary research appointments with the University of Melbourne and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.

Dr Ryan’s research is focused on improving psychological and neuropsychological assessment, intervention, and care for children, young people, and families affected by acquired brain injury, neurodevelopmental differences, and other chronic health conditions. His work seeks to understand why individuals differ in their cognitive, behavioural, and socio-emotional outcomes, and to translate this knowledge into more targeted and effective psychological interventions.

A major focus of Dr Ryan’s research has been understanding cognitive and socio-emotional development following childhood acquired brain injury, including traumatic brain injury, concussion, and stroke. Using prospective and longitudinal methods, his research integrates neuroimaging, neuropsychological and behavioural assessment, and measures of family and environmental functioning to identify factors that shape longer-term outcomes. He is particularly interested in identifying modifiable psychological and family-level mechanisms that can provide targets for intervention.

Alongside this work, Dr Ryan has a growing program of intervention research focused on developing, adapting, and evaluating psychological interventions for people with neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions and their families. This includes transdiagnostic and cognitive-behavioural approaches targeting self-regulation, emotional and behavioural functioning, participation, and parent and family wellbeing. A particular interest is understanding how interventions can be tailored to the cognitive, neurobehavioural, and contextual needs of people with acquired brain injury and neurodevelopmental differences.

Dr Ryan also collaborates on research examining the neurobiological mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental differences, including work investigating autism in genetic conditions involving the Ras-MAPK signalling pathway. Across these areas, his research aims to bridge neuropsychology, developmental neuroscience, and clinical intervention research to improve assessment, treatment, and longer-term outcomes for children, young people, and families.