With the 2025 Flux Congress just around the corner, the Flux Trainee Committee is excited to spotlight some of your fellow attendees through our trainee research profiles. If you’re a trainee—whether a student, post-bacc, or postdoc—and would like to be featured, we invite you to fill out our interest form!
At Flux, we are committed to nurturing the next generation of researchers who are shaping the future of developmental cognitive neuroscience. In our new Trainee Spotlight series, we will highlight the achievements, aspirations, and contributions of outstanding trainees within our community. These young scientists are not only pushing the boundaries of research but also embodying the spirit of collaboration and innovation that drives our field forward.
Today, we are excited to introduce Dr. Melissa Thye. Let's dive into their journey, insights, and what motivates them to make a lasting impact in developmental cognitive neuroscience.
Dr. Melissa Thye
Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Edinburgh
What is the focus of your research?
My research focuses on how semantic and social cognition support our ability to understand narratives, the brain systems that underlie these processes, and how these abilities emerge in early childhood.
What is your most interesting research finding or inquiry so far?
I have used fMRI to examine how the semantic system - which stores our conceptual knowledge about the world - responds to words, sentences, and events in full-length movies. We found that the semantic system plays a more active role in comprehending complex narratives than we previously thought. In particular, we think that a specific portion of the semantic system - the anterior middle temporal gyrus - helps us reflect on and reconfigure our understanding of the narrative content.
Are you presenting at the Flux meeting in Dublin?
Yes, I’ll be presenting a poster called “Recovering Parallel Distributed Default Networks in Early Childhood” during the Saturday morning poster session. Come check it out!
What do you enjoy doing when not researching?
I enjoy being as far away from a computer screen as possible, running or hiking or power walking, particularly in Holyrood Park in Edinburgh.
Best piece of advice you have received as a trainee?
Be kind to yourself when things go wrong.
Do you have any advice for early-stage trainees?
Lots of things in this job and life are out of our control, so it’s good to focus on what you can control: creating detailed README documentation. Future you (and your colleagues) will thank you.
Most useful resource that you would recommend to other trainees in developmental cognitive neuroscience?
Sign up to listervs like Dev Europe or Cog Sci. It’s a no effort way to hear about new job postings and other opportunities.
Please list any social media accounts / personal websites that you would like us to highlight
Bluesky: @melissathye.bsky.social
Personal website: https://mthye.github.io/