About us

The UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences (PALS) joins together in a single Division students, researchers, academics and professional support staff committed to make UCL a global leader in the scientific study of mind.

In a courageous move to co-locate the scientific study of language and psychology we created a powerhouse of original research and teaching excellence that attracts the highest calibre of students and staff from around the world joining a collegial community of 120 academics, 2,300 students, 180 researchers and 100 professional support staff working together to achieve progress through quality. In the last Research Excellence Framework PALS came first for the volume of research rated as world leading and internationally excellent.

PALS research and teaching covers the breadth of our field encompassing almost all aspects of relevant work including behavioural and cognitive neuroscience, language, sensory systems, learning and memory, therapeutic interventions, decision-making and social cognition applied to the most significant problems we face including climate change, mental health, inequality and social conflict.

Taking thoughtful advantage of the significant opportunities of our depth and breadth we work collaboratively across specialisms supporting each other to fully exploit our state-of-the-art facilities in brain imaging (fMRI) and stimulation (TMS), behavioural testing, computation and systems neuroscience, a strategy that has enabled us to achieve a unique position providing unparalleled educational opportunities for our students learning alongside some of the world’s most creative and productive researchers to become the leading investigators and professionals of the future.

Professor Peter Fonagy OBE
Head of the Division of Psychology and Language Sciences