Promotions are awarded to staff showing exceptional talent and commitment to UCL’s mission. The success of our staff represents the huge amount of talent they share and their commitment to furthering the field of brain sciences.
We now have one new Professor, three new Professorial Research Fellows, 7 new Principal Research Fellows, one new Associate Professor (Teaching), 14 new Senior Research Fellows and three new Research Fellows.
“I want to warmly congratulate all colleagues from the Institute of Neurology who have been promoted. This is a very major achievement and reflects the excellent research, teaching and citizenship of all these colleagues.” Professor Michael Hanna, Director, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology
The following promotions are effective from 1st October 2025.
Professors
Mr Hani Marcus
“I’m honoured to be promoted to Professor and grateful to the many colleagues who’ve made this possible. I feel especially fortunate to work at the interface of surgery, neurology, and engineering, and to collaborate with brilliant teams across the Division, the IoN, and the Hawkes Institute. Translating technologies from the lab to the operating theatre has been a real team effort.”
Professorial Research Fellows
Dr James Sleigh (Department of Neuromuscular Diseases)
“I am honoured to be promoted to Professor at such a wonderful institution. The Department of Neuromuscular Disease has been an amazing place to work over these past 11 years and I am indebted to Linda Greensmith and Gipi Schiavo for their enduring mentorship, commitment and wisdom. I would also like to show my great appreciation to the excellent researchers in my group and the Molecular NeuroPathobiology Laboratory for driving the science forward and for creating such a stimulating, supportive and inclusive environment. Finally, my team at home are the best supporters and motivators a scientist could ask for and I am forever grateful.”
Dr Rachael Scahill (Neurodegenerative Diseases)
“This is such a huge honour for me and, as someone who hasn’t necessarily followed a traditional route, I really appreciate this recognition from UCL. I have been supported by amazing colleagues, first at the Dementia Research Centre and then at the HD Centre and would particularly like to thank Professor Sarah Tabrizi who has inspired and encouraged me so much. I really have the dream job and look forward to continuing my work at this exciting time as we strive to deliver prevention treatments for HD”.
Dr Andrea Cortese (Department of Neuromuscular Diseases)
Principal Research Fellows
Dr Charles Arber (Neurodegenerative Diseases)
“I am chuffed that my contribution to IoN has been recognised in this way. I am fortunate to work with tremendous colleagues and friends. I hope that these collaborations can grow in a way to positively impact the lives of those affected by dementia.”
Ms Nadine Dijkstra (Imaging Neuroscience)
“I am delighted to be promoted to Principal Research Fellow. I would like to thank all my mentors and colleagues for their support in getting me here, with a special thank you to Steve Fleming and Martina Callaghan.”
Dr Christopher Hardy (Neurodegenerative Diseases)
“I’m so happy to have been promoted to Principal Research Fellow – thank you so much to everyone who encouraged and supported me to apply for this. I’m really grateful to have a job that I love doing, and to be able to work with so many amazing people – both colleagues and patients. Imposter syndrome is currently high(!) but I’m determined to repay the faith that has been shown in me by UCL and the Alzheimer’s Society.”
Dr Christian Landles (Neurodegenerative Diseases)
“I am absolutely thrilled to share that I have been successful in my application for promotion to “Principal Research Fellow”. I am honoured that my research output contributions have been recognised and appreciated by senior work colleagues within the Department of Neurodegenerative Disease and Institute of Neurology. This milestone would not have been possible without the unwavering support of so many incredible people. I want to sincerely thank my inspiring mentors, amazing work colleagues, outstanding research collaborators, and generous funders, each of whom has played a vital role throughout this application process. Thank you all for supporting me and for helping me make this achievement.”
Dr Dervis Salih (Neurodegenerative Diseases)
“I’m very grateful to my colleagues for recognising the impact of my scientific research and my contribution to the community. I could not have achieved this without the support and patience of my family, and my brilliant colleagues, who have been generous and inspiring with their time and infectious enthusiasm. I’m grateful to our community for recognising the importance of studying mechanisms underlying neuroinflammation, neuroinflammatory genetics and ageing, and how they drive dementia. I’m thankful to Alzheimer’s Research UK and the Medical Research Council for supporting our research, and making our discoveries a reality. The journey into Science is varied for us all, but in my case my journey started when my family fled a war-torn country, and so I am pleased that from such terrible situations we can find a way to make positive contributions, and I hope this offers us more reasons to work together, and to stand-up against inequality, injustice and ignorance. ”
Dr Aitana Sogorb Esteve (Neurodegenerative Diseases)
“I am absolutely delighted to be successful on my grade 9 promotion. This is a great-received recognition of my hard work and my research efforts and I am truly grateful to my mentor, who pushed me to apply, and all the people who have supported me on the way. I hope that this promotion to Principal Research Fellow will enable be to keep delivering translational research in the dementia field, all of this being part of the incredible scenario as it is the Institute of Neurology.”
Dr George Wimmer (known as Elliott) (Imaging Neuroscience)
“I am very pleased to have been promoted to Principal Research Fellow at the Institute of Neurology. It is a dream to continue to work at the IoN FIL and UCL Max Planck Centre. I’d like to thank my mentors and current and past members of the department for their support, and look forward to our exciting research in the coming years.”
Associate Professor (Teaching)
Dr Martina Bocchetta
“I am honoured to receive this promotion to Associate Professor (Teaching). I am incredibly grateful to my mentors, inspiring colleagues and collaborators, and to my friends and family for their unwavering support. I look forward to continuing my journey at UCL, bridging research and education within the Human Neuroscience BSc at the Faculty of Brain Sciences”.
Senior Research Fellows
Dr Alex Cammack
“I’m absolutely thrilled and honored to be promoted to Senior Research Fellow. I’d like to express my earnest gratitude to Prof. Adrian Isaacs for his fantastic mentorship, as well as all others who have supported me in the Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases and the UK DRI through the years. I look forward to continuing my research on ALS and FTD as a part of this incredible team at IoN.”
Dr Annalucia Darbey
“I am delighted to be promoted to Senior Research Fellow at UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology. I would like to express my gratitude for the guidance from my mentors, Professor Pietro Fratta, Professor Linda Greensmith and Dr John Counsell and for the continuous support from everyone in the department of neuromuscular diseases for which I am especially grateful.”
Dr Stephanie Efthymiou
“I am deeply honoured to have been promoted to Senior Research Fellow and feel grateful for the recognition of my work at UCL. I would like to sincerely thank my mentors Prof. Henry Houlden and Prof. Mike Hanna, my PhD student Dr. Natalia Dominik for her hard work, as well as to all the members in our lab for their continuous support and cooperation over the last 10 years”
Dr Jess Jiang
“I am honoured and delighted to be promoted to Senior Research Fellow! I am deeply grateful for the consistent support I have received from everyone at the Dementia Research Centre, particularly Prof Jason Warren and Dr Chris Hardy. I look forward to continuing contributing to all the fantastic dementia research being conducted at UCL.”
Dr Jenny Lange
“I am delighted to have been promoted to Senior Research Fellow, and am grateful to have my research achievements and contributions to UCL research culture recognized. I am deeply thankful for the support I received from Dr Soyon Hong as well as my collaborators, mentors, colleagues, students and friends. Research is not done by a lone individual, and my success would not have been possible without their contributions. ”
Dr Filipe Nascimento
“I am honoured by the promotion and grateful for the incredible support of my colleagues and mentors. I look forward to continuing my work to better understand the neurophysiology of spinal microcircuits in conditions such as ALS.”
Dr Benjamin O’Callaghan
“I am very proud to continue my research into underlying pathomechanisms of Parkinson’s Disease and novel avenues for therapeutic intervention now as a Senior Research Fellow. I am extremely grateful to my supervisor Helene Plun-Favreau and all colleagues here at the Queen Square Institute of Neurology for their support in getting me here.”
Dr Edward Smith
“It’s an honour to be appointed Senior Research Fellow at the IoN. I look forward to continuing my research into Huntingdon’s disease alongside such talented colleagues.”
Dr Sunaina Surana
“I am delighted to be promoted to Senior Research Fellow at the IoN, where I have been working with such a wonderful and talented group of people”.
Dr Lisa Tedesco Triccas
“I’m delighted to have been promoted to Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences. This motivates me even more to continue advancing research into upper limb recovery after stroke.”
Rauan Kaiyrzhanov
Dr Reza Maroofian
Dr Olga Tiurikova
Dr Oscar Wilkins
Research Fellows
Thomas Brown
“I am very happy to have been promoted to Research Fellow, and I look forward to continuing to learn and expand my work. I would like to thank my PhD supervisors as well as all of my colleagues and friends in the Insight46 team and beyond who have provided me with the opportunities, mentorship and skills that enabled me to get here.”
Annabelle Coleman
Magdalena Dudziec
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