Research
School of Biological Sciences research themes
The School of Biological Sciences has six cross-cutting Research Themes that bring together researchers from across departments. These themes foster collaboration, spark new ideas and strengthen interdisciplinary networks, creating opportunities for innovative research and discovery.
Explore the achievements and progress of the Research Themes during their first year in the Research Themes – Year in Review
report.
Psychology research strategy and themes
The Department of Psychology’s Research Strategy is structured around three research themes that bring researchers together, strengthen collaborations and maximise the impact of our research.
Our strategy has three key aims:
Connect researchers: Foster interactions and build new connections among researchers at all career stages across the Department.
Strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration: Develop partnerships with other departments and Schools, and increase participation in major collaborative funding initiatives.
Raise our research profile: Enhance the Department’s external visibility, strengthen engagement with the wider research community and increase the reach and impact of our research
Lead: Professor Jeff Dalley
Research areas: Behavioural Neuroscience, Cognitive Neuroscience, Perceptual and Cognitive Systems, Brain Computations, Neuropsychiatry and disease models
Research in this group focuses on understanding the mechanisms that underlie behaviour, perception and cognition in human and animal models. We bring together interdisciplinary methodologies that range from behavioural testing, state-of-the-art imaging, genomic and neurobiological measures to computational approaches.
Research groups and labs associated with this theme:
Bays Lab: Computational Cognition Group
Blakemore Lab: Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience in Adolescence Group
Brain, Language and Bilingualism lab
Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience (Cam-CAN)
Centre for Neuroscience in Education (CNE)
Cambridge University Behavioural Insights Team (CUBIT)
Cognition and Motivated Behaviour Lab
Consciousness and Cognition Lab
Davis Lab (Visual Cognition Lab)
Health and Wellbeing Research Group
Memories in Neuropsychiatric Disorders Lab (MIND Lab)
NeuroInformatics Research Group
Core members
- Dr Stephanie Archer
- Dr Paul Bays
- Dr Richard Bethlehem
- Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore
- Dr Mirjana Bozic
- Dr Tristan A. Bekinschtein
- Dr Lucy Cheke
- Professor Nicola S. Clayton
- Professor Jeff Dalley
- Dr Greg Davis
- Professor Pasco Fearon
- Professor Usha Goswami
- Professor Zoe Kourtzi
- Dr Rebecca Lawson
- Professor Amy Milton
- Professor Jon Simons
- Dr Dénes Szücs
- Dr Deborah Talmi
- Dr Varun Warrier
Affiliated members
Lead: Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore
Research areas: infant development, child development, genes and environment, children and families, adolescence, ageing, mental health, parenting, brain development, cognitive development, social development.
Research in this group asks how the brain and behaviour develop over time. We focus on critical developmental periods, including early life and adolescence, ageing, and developmental disorders. We also investigate interactive effects, e.g., between genes and the environment and between families and children.
Research groups and labs associated with this theme:
Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience (Cam-CAN)
Cognition and Motivated Behaviour Lab
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Group
Health and Wellbeing Research Group
Centre for Neuroscience in Education
Neurodevelopmental Research Group
Core members
- Dr Stephanie Archer
- Dr Richard Bethlehem
- Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore
- Professor Pasco Fearon
- Professor Usha Goswami
- Professor Claire Hughes
- Professor Mark Johnson
- Professor Sarah Lloyd-Fox
- Dr Dénes Szücs
- Dr Varun Warrier
Affiliated members
Lead: Professor Jason Rentfrow
Research areas: Social cognition, Emotion, Personality and individual differences, Judgement and decision-making, Communication, Big-data analytics.
Research in this group focuses on interactions between psychological and social processes and their impact on judgements, decisions, and behaviour. We use experimental, observational, and computational methods to examine psychological processes and outcomes at multiple levels of analysis, including physiological, experiential, and behavioural.
Research groups and labs associated with this theme:
Blakemore Lab: Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience in Adolescence Group
Cambridge Body, Mind and Behaviour Lab
Cambridge Political Psychology Lab
Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab
Cambridge University Behavioural Insights Team (CUBIT)
Health and Wellbeing Research Group
The Cambridge Personality and Social Dynamics Research Group
Core members
Affiliated members