Alana has completed a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) and a Master of Research in Cognitive Science at Macquarie University. Currently, she is a PhD candidate in the School of Psychological Sciences under the supervision of Dr. Lisi Beyersmann and Dr. Carly Johnco and with the support of Professor Genevieve McArthur. She is also a student member of the Macquarie University Centre for Reading. 

The purpose of her research is to explore the relationship between poor reading and emotional health in children and adolescents. Alana is particularly interested in reading anxiety, and how it is related to other aspects of emotional health (e.g., anxiety, depression, peer relationship problems), and types of reading difficulties (e.g., poor reading accuracy, fluency, comprehension). 

Alana has also been working as a research assistant for Dr. Carly Johnco since 2020 on projects that aim to optimise exposure therapy for individuals with fears of public speaking.