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Mauricio Molinari Ulate
Name:
Mauricio Molinari Ulate
Job title:
Early Stage Researcher
Place of work / study:
University of Salamanca / Fundación Intras
Area of Research:
Explore the use of technology for the assessment, monitoring, rehabilitation, and stimulation for people living with dementia, and psychoeducation for their carers; and the development of assistive technologies for cognition (ATC).
How is your work funded?
Funded by the Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions Innovative Training Network H2020-MSCA-ITN, under grant agreement number 813196.
Tell us a little about yourself:
I am originally from Costa Rica. I graduated from the Universidad de Costa Rica where I obtained my psychology degree and from the University of Glasgow with a MSc in Applied Neuropsychology. Throughout my studies, I have been working around the use of technology for the assessment and rehabilitation in clinical neuropsychology and the development of assistive technologies for cognition (ATC). As part of my Master’s thesis, I, along with my colleagues at Glasgow, developed and provided initial validation of a Virtual Reality shopping errands task for use in brain injury rehabilitation. I have worked as the clinical neuropsychologist of the Gerontology Unit for the attention of people with cognitive impairment-Alzheimer and other dementias in Costa Rica. Recently, I have been coordinating the Memory Clinic at Fundación Intras in Zamora, Spain.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself:
I must eat pizza once a week.
Why did you choose to work in dementia?
I started working with brain cancer as my first approach to neuropsychology. Since then my interest in brain injuries and neurodegenerative disorders increased. After my Master’s thesis, I had the possibility to work with people living with dementia and cognitive impairment and I realized the need for professionals in the field and the challenges in dementia care. Now, I have been involved in research to improve the quality of life of this population.
What single piece of advice would you give to an early career researcher?
Be clear and honest with yourself. If you are feeling stress, anxiety or worry about your project, try to accept those feelings so you can talk about them. This will give you the opportunity to discuss possible solutions with your supervisors and colleagues to make the research process more comfortable and enjoyable for you.
What book are you reading right now? Would you recommend it?
‘Yes to life’ by Viktor Frankl. I would recommend to read ‘Man’s search for meaning’ first.
Can we find you on Twitter & Instagram?
Follow me on Instagram @mau_molinari
