DrNeil Bailey

Dr Neil Bailey is a Senior Lecturer and Data Science Lead within the School of Psychology at Deakin University. He has published over 90 studies that explore the links between brain activity, mental health, cognitive performance, and the effects of different treatments.

One major focus of Neil’s research is the development and improvement of methods to process and analyse neural activity data recorded using electroencephalography (EEG). This work has led to the publication of several open access software packages to enable automated state-of-the-art EEG pre-processing, improving signal to noise ratios and reducing the confounds in analysis of EEG data.

Neil has then applied these methods to the examination of brain activity in individuals who practice mindfulness. The goal of his mindfulness research is to explain the mechanism of action by which meditation leads to improved mental health. His research also uses machine learning and EEG to assess measures of brain activity that predict who will respond to different treatments for depression. The goal of this research is to enhance the efficacy of current depression treatments. He has also published research examining how brain activity differs between typical depression and depression that commonly follows a traumatic brain injury, whether online mindfulness is effective at improving mental health, and a range of different brain stimulation treatments for depression, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, and Alzheimer’s disease.

He has published more than 90 peer reviewed publications, several book chapters, an industry commissioned evidence-based guidelines document for the application of mindfulness in schools, and his work his highly cited across multiple scientific fields.