Dr. Barry O'Neill

Impact of extreme environments on cognitive function, training sports specific cognitive skills and brain function as a marker of physiological stress in athletes.

At the GSK HPL, Barry is leading neuroscience research in an effort to assess, monitor and train aspects of brain function that are relevant to elite and everyday performance. Barry completed his PhD in Psychopharmacology from Swinburne University of Technology, Australia in 2008. Since obtaining his PhD, he has held various roles within GSK, ranging from early stage drug development in their pharmaceutical division to research on the central effects of novel ingredients, functional foods and herbal extracts for GSK Nutrition.

In his more recent work at the HPL, Barry has worked on the impact of everyday ailments such as allergy, the common cold and pain on brain function as well as with high performance research partners including professional teams in rugby and football, Olympic teams and ultra endurance athletes. Working across these diverse groups allows a greater understanding of brain function in multiple scenarios and facilitates transfer of knowledge between elite and everyday performance.