I graduated in 2023 from my International Bachelor of Psychology at the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, where I specialised in Brain and Cognition. This specialisation focused on cognitive neuropsychology, where I attained significantly high results in courses regarding brain anatomy and the microprocesses leading neural activity. During this period, I deepened my neuroscientific knowledge by taking part in a wet lab in the Erasmus Medical Center and participating in a campaign to increase awareness about the benefits and progress of brain research at the Erasmus University College. Additionally, my course’s specialisation gave me the opportunity to conduct research in visual working memory biases, where I gained experience of all stages involved in conducting scientific research, from the initial conceptualisation and paradigm formation to data collection, analysis and report writing. I then earned my master’s degree in Brain and Cognition in the same institution, where I gained practical skills in EEG data collection and analysis, and further refined my theoretical and practical statistical skills using R, SPSS and E-Prime. As part of a multi-institutional team, I conducted research investigating the cognitive processes responsible for the completion of visually occluded objects. I became proficient in the use of generative neural networks to study human cognition and taught myself MATLAB to statistically compare human and machine generated data. Upon graduating, I was offered a position as research assistant in the Proaction lab under the CogBooster project. Herein, I have expanded my practical skills in fMRI data acquisition and analysis through a variety of sources (online and presence courses) allowing me to significantly contribute to a project exploring the neural underpinnings of the perception and recognition of fruits and vegetables. For this project I had to master multiple analysis techniques to conduct Multivariate Pattern Analysis, distal connectivity computations, and training and testing decoding models on brain activity. During my time at the Proaction lab I focused on developing both practical skills and a broader understanding of the field to become an engaged team member. I attended several conferences, expanding my knowledge of current research in human visual perception and cognition, and engaging with the leading researchers advancing this field. I also contributed to outreach projects focused on science communication by presenting the laboratory’s current research and the methodologies used to do so. I am responsible for the handling of intra- and inter-lab meetings, facilitating communication between researchers. In September, I will attend the prestigious Cognitive Neuroimaging Skills Training In Cambridge to improve my knowledge in neuroimaging methods. This course contains multiple relevant guest speakers as well as invaluable practical lessons that will make a significant contribution to the quality of my PhD project.