Management Committee

Dr Amanda Fitzgerald is an Associate Professor at University College Dublin’s School of Psychology and a leading researcher in the field of youth mental health. Her research focuses on identifying and addressing key risk and protective factors influencing young people’s mental health, incorporating youth participation into mental health research, and innovations in youth mental health service delivery. As a co-founder of the UCD Youth Mental Health Lab, Dr. Fitzgerald is dedicated to advancing research in this area, with a clear commitment to translating research findings into tangible outcomes that improve the lives of young people.

Dr. Andreas Balaskas is a postdoctoral research fellow at University College Dublin's School of Computer Science, with a strong background in Human-Computer Interaction and Computer Science. Dr. Balaskas' current research focuses on the design of mental health technologies aimed at supporting young people through different stages of their mental health journey.

Dr Charlotte Blease is Associate Professor of Health Informatics at Uppsala University Sweden, and Research Affiliate at Digital Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, USA. She is an interdisciplinary researcher who has explored healthcare ethics, health services research, and the psychological justifications for AI in healthcare.

Assistant Professor at Universidade da Maia and Universidade Fernando Pessoa, Portugal. Cristina Mendes Santos holds a Master’s degree in Clinical and Health Psychology, a Postgraduate degree in Healthcare Management, and a PhD in Dynamics of Health and Welfare, specialising in Digital Health. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Universidade da Maia and Universidade Fernando Pessoa in Portugal, and a Researcher at the Centre for Psychology at the University of Porto, where she teaches and conducts research in Digital Health, leading international projects in the field of Digital Mental Health. Throughout her career, Cristina has dedicated herself to designing and managing multidisciplinary projects aimed at improving the quality of life for individuals living with or at risk of developing chronic and mental health conditions. Her work integrates user-centred approaches, digital technologies, and artificial intelligence to advance prevention, early detection, and personalised care. She currently serves as Principal Investigator and Project Manager of iNNOVSensing and PRODROMUS, initiatives centred on digital phenotyping and just-in-time adaptive interventions, which represent strategic efforts to strengthen health systems and bridge the mental healthcare treatment gap.

Dr David Coyle is an Associate Professor in the School of Computer Science at University College Dublin and a founding member of the HCI@UCD research group. His research focuses on human-computer interaction, with an emphasis on the design of digital mental health technologies. This has included work on online help-seeking and the design of online and mobile interventions for young people and adults. His research emphasises interdisciplinary collaboration and the human-centred approaches.