Stop and think: Neuroscientist’s research for road safety

University of Auckland neuroscientist Dr Corey Wadsley has been awarded an $820,000 fellowship to study how the brain stops our actions.

Wadsley will investigate “pause-then-retune” processes enabling people to suddenly halt actions – such as when a driver begins changing lanes but must stop after spotting a vehicle in the blind spot.

The four-year New Zealand Mana Tūāpapa Future Leader Fellowship was awarded by the Royal Society Te Apārangi.

When so-called response inhibition weakens in later adulthood, it can increase the risk of errors in situations that demand quick decisions – particularly on the road. The research in the University's Department of Exercise Sciences will inform strategies to reduce road accident rates.

Born and raised in Auckland, Wadsley completed all his undergraduate and postgraduate study at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland. He is returning to the University after three years as a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Oregon.

“My goal has always been to come back to the University of Auckland,” he says. “This award allows me to achieve my goal and produce meaningful science in New Zealand.”