Dr. Walshe is a research scientist at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP), co-leading the Neuroscience of Driving research program. Dr. Walshe's research is focused on understanding how higher-level cognitive control relates to and mediates performance on complex real-world motor tasks that are high-risk for injury. 

With a background in cognitive neuroscience, Dr. Walshe has applied cognitive, neuropsychological, and neuroscientific theory and techniques (e.g. EEG, MEG, neuroimaging) to better understand gait impairments and falls in older adults and stroke survivors, and driver errors and motor vehicle crashes in young drivers with and without developmental impairments. 

In particular, Dr. Walshe is interested in understanding how cognitive development in adolescents and young adults, and later-life changes in cognitive functioning, impact motor task performance, in order to inform the development of interventions for improving safety.

At CIRP, Dr. Walshe helped establish the Neuroscience of Driving Program focused on identifying the underlying neural and cognitive mechanisms of driver error and motor vehicle crash risk in young drivers with and without cognitive impairment. This work utilizes advanced simulated driving tools together with a range of neuroimaging techniques, namely MEG, in order to inform better interventions for assessing risk and aiding safe performance. 

BA, National University of Ireland, Maynooth (Psychology), 2011

PhD, National University of Ireland, Maynooth (Cognitive Neuroscience), 2016

Postdoctoral Fellowship, the University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (Neuroscience of Driving), 2020

Research Scientist