Mr Owen Forbes
Owen is a health data scientist working on improved methods for studying brain data to enable improved risk prediction and early intervention in youth mental health.
He is a PhD candidate under the supervision of Distinguished Professor Kerrie Mengersen at QUT, working on data from the Longitudinal Adolescent Brain Study (LABS) led by Professor Daniel Hermens at the University of the Sunshine Coast. This study is unique in the rich variety of data being collected on a population in this age group (ages 12-17 years), with much more frequent sampling than is common for longitudinal studies of neuroscience & population health. Owen is researching novel methods for analysing complex longitudinal datasets, with an applied emphasis on analysing EEG and other neuroimaging modalities and relating them to health and distress outcomes over time, from participants in the first stages of the LABS project. His work contributes to methodology and applications for understanding brain characteristics and mental health through adolescent development, with clinical relevance for risk prediction and early intervention. Owen is passionate about shortening the gap between research and translation to impact outside academia, improving evidence-based practice in mental health and health policy.