Vision

Our vision is to train the next generation of researchers who will contribute to solving the greatest health and wellbeing problems in the brain sciences, in order to transform society and reduce the global burden of disease.

Mission

At the UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences we recruit outstanding national and international post-graduate research students. Our doctoral students train in experimental and applied brain sciences, often across disciplines, to address the most critical global challenges.

We offer expertise and supervision in audiology, cognitive neuroscience, language sciences, neurology, ophthalmology, psychiatry and psychology. Our research strategy includes four key themes, each encompassing research, education and enterprise activities (Figure 1).

Figure 1. FBS Research Priorities: Key Themes

We train future global leaders in research. Our doctoral graduates develop the additional transferable skills and succeed in a competitive global employment arena.

Key research and educational achievements

1. The UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences is a research powerhouse with 800 post-graduate students and 1,500 staff. Our research grant income is £80 million annually.
2. UCL Neuroscience is ranked 1st in Europe and 2nd worldwide (Thomson Reuters Essential Science Indicators)
3. In the latest research assessment UCL was the UK's top university in Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience (REF 2014).
4. We recruit outstanding students in a wide distribution of nationalities and cultural backgrounds. We offer excellent infrastructure from labs and library to high performance computing. Our state-of-the-art research facilities include imaging, genetic, behavioural and a range of wet and dry lab methodologies (www.ucl.ac.uk/pals/research/research-facilities).
5. We train doctoral students to the highest standards of research using engaging and innovative teaching methods. We offer blended training with e-learning, distance learning, multimedia and virtual environments. At the UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences we are the UK's and an international leader in research-based education in basic, applied and clinical neuroscience.
6. Recent analysis by RAND shows that UCL had the largest number of highly cited publications of any organisation in England across all key Brain Sciences fields of study including audiology, dementias, mental health, neuroscience, ophthalmology and psychology.
7. We continually improve our PhD programmes through student feedback and representation. In the latest Post-graduate Research Experience Survey over 93% of students in Brain Sciences expressed satisfaction with their supervisors and with their own skills development.