I am a postdoctoral researcher in theoretical and computational neuroscience in Trinity College Dublin and Oxford University with Dr
Seán Froudist-Walsh.
I completed my PhD under the supervision of Dr
Cian O'Donnell,
in the
Intelligent Systems Research Centre, Ulster University,
and was visiting PhD Researcher at the University of Bristol, under Dr
Conor Houghton
(School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology).
I studied Mathematics (MA Dubl) as a
Naughton Scholar
at Trinity College Dublin, and obtained a PGCE (Mathematics) and MRes from Queen's University Belfast.
I am an active member of the
Institute of Mathematics & its Applications (IMA) as Treasurer of the
Irish branch,
and a member of the
Society for Industrial & Applied Mathematics (SIAM), and
Neuroscience Ireland (NSI).
See here for more detail, but I am mainly interested in biological and artificial recurrent neural networks – their structure, dynamics, and computation.
I approach these questions using tools from complex systems theory, dynamical systems theory, topology, and machine learning, seeking to understand how the structure and dynamics of cortical networks give rise to complex cognitive function.
I am also interested in mathematical models and analysis of synaptic, neuronal, and network dynamics, particularly in the context of development, maturation, and computation.
Publications:
-
PhD Thesis:
"Exploring Structure, Dynamics, and Computation in Biologically-inspired Recurrent Neural Networks",
2026,
available here
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J McAllister & C O'Donnell,
"Geometry of recurrent neural network dynamics for sequence working memory, signal discrimination, and response suppression",
2026 (in preparation)
-
J McAllister, CJ Houghton, J Wade, C O'Donnell,
"Non-random brain wiring enables efficient and robust neural network function under high sparsity",
2026, bioRxiv,
https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.03.30.715411
-
L Discepolo, J McAllister, R Russell, S Apilado,
G Margetts-Smith, D Franchini, SG Grant, C O'Donnell,
MC Ashby, P Anastasiades
"Region- and layer-specific glutamatergic synapse development in the nascent cortical hierarchy",
2026, Journal of Neuroscience,
https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0293-26.2026
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J McAllister, J Wade, CJ Houghton, C O'Donnell,
"Topological and simplicial features of reservoir computing networks",
2024, UKCI,
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-78857-4_5
-
I Cantley, J McAllister
"Insights from a multilevel analysis of high-stakes examination results in mathematics",
2021,
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-021-01234-5
Other work:
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poster –
"Exact Dynamics of Linear Recurrent Neural Networks in Cognitive Tasks",
AREADNE June 2026, Milos, Greece
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project –
Heterosynaptic plasticity as a mechanism for statistical generalisation of Hebbian learning,
2024-2025
-
poster –
"Sparsity and efficiency in connectome-based echo state networks",
UKNC July 2025, Imperial College London
-
poster –
"Structure-function relationships in connectome echo state networks",
CoSyNe, Mar 2025
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poster –
"Random and biological network connectivity for reservoir computing",
UKNC July 2024
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poster –
"Heterosynaptic plasticity rules induce small-world network topologies",
ICMNS June 2024
-
project –
The capacity and accuracy of a triple well Hopfield model,
ISRC-CN3 School Project, Oct 2023
-
project –
Short term plasticity in a discrete attractor model of decision making,
Neuromatch Academy Project, July 2023
I am Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA).
I have significant experience in teaching, lecturing, and leading tutorials.
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COM121 - Mathematics for Computer Science
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EEE107 - Mathematics for Engineering 1
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COM736 - Data Validation and Visualisation
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COM328 - Algorithms and Data Structures
