UCL researcher wins prestigious Blavatnik Award
Emily Hufton reports on the recognition of UCL Professor, Tim Behrens, at the Blavatnik Awards.
Professor Tim Behrens, an academic working both at the University of Oxford and UCL, has been selected as the Life Science Laureate at the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the UK, in recognition of his pioneering work on the brain. He will receive a £75,000 prize to contribute to furthering his research.
Behrens has won the Life Sciences Award for his exploration of the electrical signals in the brain that underpin our behaviour. As part of this work, Behrens developed a method of mapping these impulses using computer models. Whilst much of his work has to be conducted in non-human models, the main focus is on understanding the complexity of human behaviour. This quest is aided by his development of techniques that allow clinical investigation.
Behrens’s research has been recognised for its far-reaching benefits to the study of neuroscience, accuracy of brain surgery, treatment of mental health issues, and the development of AI.
The Blavatnik Awards, spearheaded by the Blavatnik Family Foundation and the New York Academy of Sciences, are unique in honouring the work of young scientists across a variety of disciplines with a significant cash prize. The financial incentive awarded to further research ensures that the Awards achieve their aim of “promot[ing] the breakthroughs in science and technology that will define how our world will look over the next century,'' according to the head of the Foundation, Sir Leonard Blavatnik.
From their origin in the US, the Blavatnik awards have expanded significantly, arriving in the UK in 2017. This year, there were 80 nominations from 41 institutions across the UK. Laureates in the other categories include Dr Kirsty Penkman (University of York) for her advances in fossil dating, and Professor Claudia de Rham (Imperial College London), who has proposed an innovative theory of massive gravity with significant implications for the Physical Sciences.
A full list of finalists and laureates, including from previous years, is visible on the Awards’ webpage.