Our people

Dr Magdalena Kowalczyk

Research Officer
Neuroscience of Addiction and Mental Health Program

Areas of expertise: neuroimaging; cognitive neuroscience; neuropsychology; neurophysiology; brain connectivity; data and image analysis; project management

ORCID ID: 0000-0002-5410-0299

Email: magdalena.kowalczyk@acu.edu.au

Location: ACU Melbourne Campus

As the Research Officer for the Neuroscience of Addiction and Mental Health Program, I am involved in a range of multi-disciplinary projects investigating biological and psychological aspects of substance use, addictive behaviours, and consequent harm. This includes MRI and statistical analysis, meta-analyses, coordination of current and future research projects, consortia project support, grant and manuscript preparation, and student support and supervision.

I completed my PhD in Neuroscience in 2020 at the University of Melbourne. My PhD research focused on exploring functional and structural properties of brain networks in focal epilepsy using novel magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography techniques.

I have six years’ experience as a Researcher at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health and Austin Health, where I played an integral role in the clinical translation of advanced imaging methods (functional MRI, structural MRI, diffusion MRI, EEG, simultaneous EEG-fMRI, TMS) for understanding and treatment of various neurological conditions.

Select publications

• Roberts, C.A., Lorenzetti, V., Albein-Urios, N., Kowalczyk, M.A., Martinez-Gonzalez, J.M., Verdejo-Garcia, A. (2021). Do comorbid personality disorders in cocaine dependence exacerbate neuroanatomical alterations? A structural neuroimaging study. Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry, 110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2021.110298
• Kowalczyk, M.A., Omidvarnia, A., Dhollander, T., Jackson, G.D. (2020). Dynamic analysis of fMRI activation during epileptic spikes can help identify the seizure origin. Epilepsia, 61(1), 2558-2571. https://doi.org/10.1111/epi.16695
• Larivière, S., [and 56 others including Kowalczyk, M.A. for the ENIGMA-Epilepsy Working Group] (2020). Network based atrophy modelling in the common epilepsies: a worldwide ENIGMA study. Science Advances, 6(47). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abc6457
• Sisodiya, S., [and 71 others including Kowalczyk, M.A. for the ENIGMA-Epilepsy Working Group] (2020). The ENIGMA-Epilepsy working group: mapping disease from large datasets. Human Brain Mapping https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.25037
• Kowalczyk, M.A., Omidvarnia, A., Abbott, D.F., Tailby, C., Vaughan, D., Jackson G,D. (2019). Clinical benefit of presurgical EEG-fMRI in difficult-to-localize focal epilepsy: a single institution retrospective review. Epilepsia, 61(1), 49-60. https://doi.org/10.1111/epi.16399
• Omidvarnia, A.*, Kowalczyk, M.A.*, Pedersen, M., Jackson, G.D. (2019). Towards fast and reliable simultaneous EEG-fMRI analysis of epilepsy with automatic spike detection. Clinical Neurophysiology, 30(3), 368-378. * First co-authors. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2018.11.024
• Alhusaini, S.*, Kowalczyk, M.A.*, Yasuda, C.L.*, Semmelroch, M.K., Katsurayama, M., Zabin, M., Zanão, T., Nogueira, M.H., Garcia, D., Alvim, M.K.M., Ferraz, V.R., Fitzsimons, M., Lopes-Cendes, I., Doherty, C.P., Cavalleri, G.L., Cendes, F., Jackson, G.D., Delanty, N. (2019). Normal cerebral cortical thickness in first-degree relatives of temporal lobe epilepsy patients. Neurology, 92, 1-8. * First co-authors. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000006834
• Pedersen, M., Kowalczyk, M.A., Omidvarnia, A., Perucca, P., Gooley, S., Petrou, S., Scheffer, I.E., Berkovic, S.F., Jackson, G.D. (2019). Human GABRG2 generalized epilepsy: increased somatosensory and striato-thalamic connectivity. Neurology: Genetics,5(4), e340. https://doi.org/10.1212/NXG.0000000000000340
• Whelan, C.D., [and 73 others including Kowalczyk, M.A. for the ENIGMA-Epilepsy Working Group]. (2018). Structural brain abnormalities in the common epilepsies assessed in 3,876 individuals worldwide. Brain, 141(2), 391-308. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awx341
• Tailby, C., Kowalczyk, M.A., Jackson, G.D. (2018). Cognitive impairment in epilepsy: The role of reduced network flexibility. Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, 5(1), 29-40. https://doi.org/10.1002/acn3.503

Accolades and awards

• Mendelsohn Student Award for research excellence, 2020
• Melbourne Research Scholarship, University of Melbourne, 2017-2020
• The Organization for Human Brain Mapping Early Career Researcher Grant, 2019
• Wally and Jean Jackson Postgraduate Award, 2019
• Caitlin’s Fund Postgraduate Award, 2018