Biography
Beyza Ustun-Elayan is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Cambridge BabyLab, Department of Psychology, involved in the PIPKIN Perinatal Imaging Partnership with Families study (www.pipkinstudy.com). Her research focuses on the transnatal continuum from prenatal to postnatal life, specifically investigating how fetal experiences influence post-birth behaviours and development.
She completed her MSc in Developmental Psychology at the University of East Anglia and was awarded her PhD from University of Durham, both fully funded by the Turkish Ministry of Education. Her PhD work has been quoted and cited in several local and international forums, such as BBC, CNN, and The Guardian.
Prior to her current role, she held a joint postdoctoral position at Wageningen University & Research and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands. Additionally, she has experience as a Project Manager at the University of Manchester and as a Research Assistant/Lab Manager at the Fetal & Neonatal Lab, University of Durham.
Research
Developmental Psychology, Perinatal Research, Fetal Development, Pre-to-postnatal Development, (Chemo-)sensory Development, Mother-Infant Interaction, Facial Expressions, Infant Habituation, Maternal Nutrition, Child Eating Behaviour, Pregnancy, 4D Ultrasonography
Publications
Ustun, B., Covey, J., Reissland, N. (2023) Chemosensory continuity from prenatal to postnatal life in humans: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS ONE 18(3): e0283314. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0283314
Schaal, B., Ustun, B., Reissland, N. & Blissett, J. (2023). (As yet) unsolved questions about amniotic fluid-borne flavours and their perception by the human fetus: Letter to Editor. Psychological Science. https://doi.org/10.25384/SAGE.24224134
Ustun, B., Reissland, N., Covey, J., Schaal, B., & Blissett, J. (2022). Flavor Sensing in Utero and Emerging Discriminative Behaviors in the Human Fetus. Psychological Science, 33(10), 1651-1663. https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976221105460
Reissland, N., Ustun, B. & Einbeck, J. The effects of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic on fetal movement profiles. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth, 24, 56 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-024-06259-8
Ustun, B. (2022). An investigation into the effects of prenatal flavour exposure through maternal diet on fetal and infant behaviours. Doctoral thesis, Durham University. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/14863/
Reissland, N., Millard, A.R., Wood, R., Ustun, B., McFaul, C., Froggatt, S., Einbeck, J. (2020). Prenatal effects of maternal nutritional stress and mental health on the fetal movement profile. Arch Gynecol Obstet, 302, 65–75. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-020-05571-w
