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David Gallagher

Visiting researcher specialising in Experimental Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liverpool John Moores University
I have held a special interest in human cognition and performance in extreme environments since being an undergraduate and postgraduate at Lancaster University (obtaining MSc in Psychological Research Methods in 1995). My career diverged into the area of consumer perception and behaviour, working as a research scientist at Unilever R&D for 21 years. Industrial experience was valuable to understand human behaviour in real world contexts, and how to bridge the gap between fundamental laboratory-based research with in-field studies across the global marketplace. Indeed the breadth of experience from this role, including working closely with multiple academic institutions on collaborative projects, has played an invaluable part in the concurrent approach taken to study behaviour of people in more extreme situations (such as extreme sports). I obtained Chartered Psychologist (by research) status with the British Psychological Society in 2020, in recognition of work in the course of this research career.

I have returned to my academic roots, with a current visiting research position at Liverpool John Moores University, specialising in neurocognitive factors in human performance under environmental stress. I research attentional networks underpinning task performance, particularly in extreme environments, seeking ways to characterise functional connectivity in key brain networks using psychophysiological measures in simulated and real-world contexts. I have been pursuing this particularly in the context of BASE jumping in the UK (but also extending into other adventure pursuits), to understand more about the extreme sports mindset, and brain-body mechanisms involved, including how such insights can help people overcome stress and adversity in everyday life.

Base jumping: what we can learn from some of the world's most extreme athletes about overcoming doubt

Oct 13, 2022 11:47 am UTC| Sports

You can be on that exit point for five minutes, battling all these voices in the head, and all of a sudden, a calmness comes over you, and you realise … its good, lets do it. We used to call that the moment. Andy...

Economy

South Korea Warns Weak Won Could Push Inflation Higher in 2025

South Koreas central bank has warned that inflation next year could exceed earlier projections if the Korean won remains weak against the U.S. dollar, raising concerns about price stability and currency market pressures....

Chinese Robotaxi Stocks Rally as Tesla Boosts Autonomous Driving Optimism

Chinese robotaxi stocks surged in Hong Kong trading on Wednesday, tracking strong overnight gains in Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) as investor optimism around autonomous driving and ride-hailing technology continued to build....

Asian Currencies Slip as Dollar Strengthens; Indian Rupee Rebounds on Intervention Hopes

Most Asian currencies edged lower on Wednesday as investors weighed the U.S. Federal Reserves future interest rate path following mixed signals from the latest U.S. labor market data. At the same time, the Indian rupee...

Gold and Silver Surge as Safe Haven Demand Rises on U.S. Economic Uncertainty

Gold prices climbed during Asian trading on Wednesday, while silver prices surged to a fresh all-time high, as growing concerns over the U.S. economy fueled strong demand for safe haven assets. Investors increasingly...

Trump Orders Blockade of Sanctioned Oil Tankers, Raising Venezuela Tensions and Oil Prices

U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, dramatically escalating Washingtons pressure on President Nicolas Maduros government and...

Politics

NSW to Recall Parliament for Urgent Gun and Protest Law Reforms After Bondi Beach Shooting

The Australian state of New South Wales will recall parliament next week to pass sweeping reforms to gun ownership and protest laws following the countrys deadliest mass shooting in more than 30 years. The move comes just...

Pakistan’s Army Chief Faces Gaza Troop Dilemma Amid US Pressure

Pakistans most powerful military leader in decades, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is facing a critical test of his expanded authority as the United States presses Islamabad to contribute troops to a proposed Gaza stabilisation...

Trump Taps Former DHS Official Troy Edgar for U.S. Ambassador Role in El Salvador

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he intends to nominate Troy Edgar as the next United States ambassador to El Salvador, highlighting the administrations continued focus on strengthening diplomatic and...

Lukashenko Urges Swift Ukraine Peace Deal, Backs Trump’s Push for Rapid Resolution

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has called for urgent action to end the war in Ukraine, voicing support for U.S. President Donald Trumps push for a rapid resolution while Washington continues diplomatic efforts...

Trump Administration Moves to Keep TransAlta Coal Plant Running Amid Rising AI Power Demand

The U.S. Energy Secretary has signed an emergency order to keep a key coal-fired power unit at the TransAlta-owned Centralia Generating Station in Washington state operating through much of the winter, marking the latest...

Science

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Blue Origin’s New Glenn Achieves Breakthrough Success With First NASA Mission

Blue Origins massive New Glenn rocket marked a major milestone as it completed its first mission for paying customers, sending two NASA satellites toward Mars and successfully landing its reusable booster at sea. The...

Cogent Biosciences Soars 120% on Breakthrough Phase 3 Results for Bezuclastinib in GIST Treatment

Cogent Biosciences (NASDAQ: COGT) shares skyrocketed over 120% after the biotech company announced groundbreaking results from its Phase 3 PEAK trial evaluating bezuclastinib in combination with sunitinib for patients with...

Trump and Merck KGaA Partner to Slash IVF Drug Costs and Expand Fertility Coverage

U.S. President Donald Trump and German pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA have announced a groundbreaking deal aimed at lowering the cost of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments while boosting access to fertility care in...

Technology

noyb Files GDPR Complaints Against TikTok, Grindr, and AppsFlyer Over Alleged Illegal Data Tracking.

A European privacy advocacy group has filed fresh complaints against TikTok, Grindr, and AppsFlyer, accusing the companies of violating European Union privacy laws by unlawfully tracking and sharing sensitive user data...

MetaX IPO Soars as China’s AI Chip Stocks Ignite Investor Frenzy

Shares of Chinese AI chipmaker MetaX Integrated Circuits delivered a stunning market debut, soaring more than 600% above their initial public offering price as domestic investors poured into local semiconductor stocks. The...

Apple Explores India for iPhone Chip Assembly as Manufacturing Push Accelerates

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is reportedly in early-stage discussions with Indian semiconductor companies to explore the assembly and packaging of iPhone components in India, marking a potential shift in the companys global...

Amazon in Talks to Invest $10 Billion in OpenAI as AI Firm Eyes $1 Trillion IPO Valuation

Amazon.com Inc is reportedly in discussions to make a major investment in OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, in a potential deal that could value the artificial intelligence company at more than $500 billion, according to a...

SUPERFORTUNE Launches AI-Powered Mobile App, Expanding Beyond Web3 Into $392 Billion Metaphysics Market

SUPERFORTUNE, a web3 AI application incubated by Manta Network, has launched its first mobile application, expanding beyond crypto-native users into the global consumer market. The SUPERFORTUNE mobile app delivers...