The interdisciplinary neuroscience research centre at Bournemouth University was founded in 2014 as a network embodying researchers in the fields of cognitive, social, systems and computational neuroscience, translational genetics and cognitive neuropsychology from the Faculty of Science and Technology, Health and Social Sciences and collaborating institutions.

Over the last few years Bournemouth University has recruited staff in the fields of cognitive and social psychology, cognitive neuroscience and systems and computational neuroscience. On top of this investment in people, BU has provided neuroscientific equipment including Electro-encephalography (EEG), Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) systems, eye trackers and translational generics labs; and a state-of-the-art Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner, co-funded by Bournemouth University and the Dorset LEP. Neuroscience is now represented strongly at Bournemouth University, and is becoming one of the major directions of BU research.

The research network is designed to provide innovative approaches for identifying the neural underpinnings of cognitive processing. To achieve this goal, we use a wide range of multidisciplinary approaches spanning from behavioural experiments, eye-tracking, EEG, fMRI, tDCS, genetics and in vivo electrophysiology  to neurocomputational modelling. In addition, we further foster neuroscience research by developing graduate and post-graduate programs, holding symposiums and workshops, running seminars and by encouraging the application of neuroscientific methods to various research fields spanning across disciplines.

The Neuroscience research centre at Bournemouth University is comprised of and is supported by a series of research laboratories with expertise in cognitive psychology, social psychology, psycholinguistics, human electrophysiology, generics and neuroimaging. The research topics include visual attention and memory, social attention, way-finding processing, cognitive control, neurolinguistics, psychiatric genetics and computational neuroscience.

The use neuroimaging and neurophysiological recordings is a fundamental tool in neuroscience which enables us to understand the normal and altered flow of information in the brain. Neurocomputational approaches can establish causal links between processing levels ranging from neuronal activities to ensemble responses, and then to higher cognitive functions.

Towards this goal, our laboratories are equipped with a 64-channel EEG system, cutting-edge eye-tracking, translational genetics equipment, tDCS and an avant-garde Siemens 3T MRI Scanner. Furthermore, we have multiple collaborations with British and international institutions which provide access to MEG scanners, in-vivo multi-array cell recordings and optical recording systems.

Research areas

Selected publications