Established Academic 2020
Professor Duncan Astle
MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit
School of Clinical Medicine
The Vice-Chancellor's Awards
for Research Impact and Engagement
About the researcher
Professor Duncan Astle who has recently been appointed the first Gnodde Goldman Sachs Professor of Neuroinformatics, is a Programme Leader at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit and heads the 4D research group.
The overarching aim of his diverse research programme is to understand how a child’s developing brain underpins their experience at school, and how factors in their environment shape the brain, cognition and learning.
The Vice-Chancellor's Awards
for Research Impact and Engagement
About the researcher
Professor Duncan Astle who has recently been appointed the first Gnodde Goldman Sachs Professor of Neuroinformatics, is a Programme Leader at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit and heads the 4D research group.
The overarching aim of his diverse research programme is to understand how a child’s developing brain underpins their experience at school, and how factors in their environment shape the brain, cognition and learning.
We believe that the variability between children isn’t noise to be controlled for, it’s something interesting to be studied. It’s vital to take this variability seriously as the pathways that kids are on can last a lifetime.
Professor Duncan Astle - The neuroscientist who champions LGBT+ equal rights
What is the research?
Breaking barriers to learning in the classroom
Between 14-30% of children and adolescents worldwide experience cognitive and behavioural barriers to learning that vary widely in scope and impact (Department for Education, 2019; National Centre for Education Statistics, 2019). There is a growing appetite for robust evidence that can equip teachers in helping young people overcome these barriers.
Over the past eight years, Duncan has worked alongside teachers, special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs), specialist teachers, speech and language therapists, educational psychologists, and many others in children’s professional services. The purpose of this engagement is two-way: the experience of practitioners directly informs Duncan’s research questions, and his engagement provides a vehicle for translating basic science into impactful front-line practice.
Duncan has undertaken more than 60 such impact events, reaching thousands of professionals in education and children’s services. These activities are made possible by collaborating with charities, academy trusts, and local schools.
One such example is Duncan’s involvement with the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). The EEF’s Research Schools Network aims to get robust evidence into the classroom. Duncan has delivered part of the EEF’s teacher training.
Kate Mouncey, Research Lead at the EEF said: “After each session, all teachers involved felt much better informed, and really inspired to find out more about evidence in this area and how they could apply this to improve their own practice. Duncan brought a huge wealth of expertise from the science community which we simply don’t have in our teaching backgrounds.”
Duncan also dedicates a lot of time to equipping graduate students and early career researchers with the tools needed to engage with practitioners and achieve more impact from their research. This capacity building ensures the next generation of researchers can undertake research that makes a difference.
Duncan’s work was presented to policymakers at the Westminster launch of the University’s Educated Brain policy document. He has been consulted on the government’s White Paper on online health in young people, supported the Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy Leaders’ Fellowship scheme, and recently joined legal experts, giving an invited talk at a colloquium on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Illustration
Solid research on children's neurodevelopment, linked to practical implications for practitioners, worked directly with teachers and SENCo’s to make use of the results of the research, also policy units, and actively encourages and supports other researchers to engage in similar ways.
The judges
Quick fire Q&A
Professor Duncan Astle
1
What motivates you?
Many things! But I derive a massive amount of energy and inspiration from the early career researchers in my group.
2
What is your favourite research tool?
At the moment we are really enjoying building mathematical models of the developing brain. It can be so hard to capture the complexity of neurodevelopment, and these models really help.
3
If you could wake up tomorrow with a new skill, what would it be?
I actually wish my own math skills were much better! That would make my life so much easier.
4
How do you pick yourself up when research does not go to plan?
Having a good mentor really helps. They can give you a real sense of perspective that is so important in research.
5
What advances would you like to see in your field within your lifetime?
I would like to see schools be supported (and funded!) to be more inclusive, with more resources for educational support and targets that include wellbeing.
6
What is the best bit of advice you’ve been given?
Balance the easy wins and the long-term goals. When you are running research projects you need to have examples of both.
7
What keeps you awake at night?
Crippling social anxiety! I spend a lot of time replaying things that no-one else will probably remember.
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