Introducing Dr Sarah Tashjian: Our CNH November Feature Story

Can you describe your research interests?

"My research focuses on understanding how the brain supports adaptive decision making, particularly during adolescence. I'm interested in how adolescents navigate threat avoidance and reward pursuit. While these are two fundamental processes that guide behaviour, they don't always serve us well. I study when and why threat avoidance or reward pursuit become maladaptive, tipping from protective or motivating into patterns that interfere with healthy functioning. This work extends to prosocial behaviour, which can feel like either a threat or a reward depending on the context, as well as emotion regulation, which is essential for making adaptive decisions in the first place."

What inspired you to pursue this research topic?

"Adolescence is a unique developmental window where young people first gain the autonomy to make choices that shape the rest of their lives. This inflection point can set someone on a trajectory motivated by curiosity and confidence, or one driven by anxiety and avoidance. What makes adolescence so compelling to me as a researcher is that it's a period of remarkable plasticity when science has a real opportunity to intervene and help adolescents build the foundations for adaptive decision making that will serve them throughout their lives."

What do you like most about your work?

"The most fulfilling part of my work is supervising students and watching them flourish through the uncertainty that is inherent in research. There is something incredibly rewarding about seeing someone gain confidence in their abilities and learn to trust their scientific instincts. As students develop their own identity as researchers, they also bring fresh perspectives and expand my thinking. This collaborative exchange, where we are both learning from each other, is what I love most about my work."

Do you have any exciting projects or news upcoming?

"I recently received an ARC Discovery Project Grant to examine exploration and avoidance in the adolescent brain. My lab (the AND Lab) is currently running a longitudinal neuroimaging project called ‘Neuropaths’ to identify pathways in the brain that lead to or protect against anxiety. We are still looking for participants ages 12-17 who will be scanned over three years, tracking mental health, brain structure and brain activity. The study is funded by NHMRC and Brain Behavior Research Foundation grants."

Learn more: https://andlabunimelb.github.io/neuropath-study/