Headshot of Cian O’Donnell.

Cian O’Donnell

Lecturer in data analytics
Ulster University

Cian O’Donnell is a computational neuroscientist and lecturer in data analytics at Ulster University. His group works on the mechanisms of learning and memory, autism, and developing statistical methods for neuroscience data.

He earned his B.Sc. in applied physics at Dublin City University, followed by his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in neuroinformatics at the University of Edinburgh. He spent three years as a postdoctoral fellow at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, before returning to the United Kingdom in 2015 as a lecturer and then senior lecturer at the University of Bristol. In 2021, he moved to Ulster University in Derry, Northern Ireland.

From this contributor

Explore more from The Transmitter

typing on computer

Why expertise won’t protect you from AI’s influence

When writing a grant or reasoning about a problem, artificial intelligence can exert a subtle bias that often goes undetected, even if we’re doing our best to be aware of it.

By Tim Requarth
4 May 2026 | 6 min read
Two opposing arrows.

European Research Council backtracks on stricter grant resubmission rules

The swift reversal came after more than 1,000 scientists signed an open letter protesting the rules last week.

By Lauren Schenkman
1 May 2026 | 4 min read
leech illustration.

What leeches reveal about movement

After encountering setbacks in her study of the neuromuscular system in vertebrates, Lidia Szczupak turned to leeches to explore how the nervous system coordinates movement.

By Claudia López Lloreda
1 May 2026 | 5 min read