Judith Tierno Martí is eager to shape her PhD project within motor neurodevelopment in the NAD PhD programme.
After obtaining her bachelor’s degree in Spain, her home country, Judith Tierno Martí moved to Denmark for her master’s studies in Biomedical Engineering. Working at the intersection of engineering and neuroscience, Judith is fascinated by how motor control develops in early life and how the brain and body learn work together. She is especially interested in understanding how changes in this process can shape development and, in some cases, contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders.
Judith was drawn to the interdisciplinary and exploratory nature of the NAD PhD programme:
“What really attracted me to this programme is the focus on learning across disciplines and the sense of being part of a supportive neuroscience community. I love that sharing ideas, working across labs, and learning from different perspectives seem to be a natural part of the PhD. During the pre-PhD year, I am looking forward to exploring different research environments, getting to know and learning from several labs and researchers, and building up my technical and analytical skills while I shape my PhD question,” Judith explains.
Judith’s approach to science is shaped by her scientific and personal background:
“Moving between countries for my studies and working with both healthy participants and clinical populations has really shaped how I see research. It taught me to be more patient, stay curious, and remember that behind every dataset there is a real person. I come from an engineering background, so I value structure and problem-solving, but working with human data showed me that empathy, patience, and collaboration are just as important as technical skills. These experiences are what drive me to do research that is rigorous and solid, but also meaningful, and that can genuinely make a difference in people’s lives,” Judith says.
For her first rotation, Judith will work with developmental MRI data at the Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, where she will analyse how brain structure and connectivity change across development.