About us

Find out more who leads the Paediatric Mental Health Science Centre at the Institute:

Executive Committee Co-Chairs

Michelle de Haan

Michelle de Haan, PhD, CPsychol is Professor in Infant and Child Development at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health . Previously, Michelle studied Child Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota. Michelle’s research applies neuroimaging and neuropsychological methods to examine the brain underpinnings of cognitive and social development, including academic and mental health outcomes. This includes work with children with infant-onset epilepsy, sickle-cell disease, congenital visual impairment, and those born preterm. She also works on developing the use of brain activity as a marker of risk in low/middle income countries, and developing tablet-based tools for assessing cognitive and social skills in toddlers and preschoolers. Her research includes study of modifiable risk factors such as sleep disruption.

Michelle de Haan's academic profile

Naresh Hanchate

Naresh is a Principal Research Fellow at the Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health. His research interests are in understanding the brain circuitry and the molecular mechanisms implicated in neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. He received a UCL Excellence Fellowship (supported by GOSH Children’s Charity, Stoneygate Trust, and the Rosetrees Trust) in 2021 and an MRC New Investigator Research Grant in 2023 to establish his research programme at UCL. Work in his research group focusses on investigating the brain circuits and neurobiological pathways linked to neurodevelopmental conditions and how early life adversities increase the vulnerabilities to stress-related mental health conditions. 

He earned his PhD in neuroscience from the University of Lille, France, and later completed his postdoctoral training at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre (Seattle, USA). During his PhD, his work led to the identification of SEMA3A mutations in patients with Kallmann syndrome, a rare genetic condition that causes loss of sense of smell and infertility. At Fred Hutch, using cutting-edge single-cell technologies his work provided novel insights into how we develop the sense of smell. He later developed new single-cell genomic tools for molecular and transcriptional profiling of neural circuits in the brain. His collaborative efforts at UCL with clinicians and translational neuroscientists is helping better understand molecular and circuit mechanisms underpinning neurodevelopmental and mental health disorders, paving the way for future treatments.

Naresh Hanchate's academic profile

David Skuse

David is a Professor of Behavioural and Brain Sciences at University College London and an Honorary Consultant in Developmental Neuropsychiatry at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, UK. He leads the London site, which oversees online assessments, collecting information on wellbeing, behaviour, and development. His team also supports families in completing assessments, whether online or over the phone.

For over 20 years, David has been a leading researcher in neurodevelopment and autism. His work challenges common misconceptions about children with learning difficulties by highlighting subtle behavioural and developmental differences. He collaborates closely with the rest of the team, sharing a vision to transform our understanding of intellectual disability. 

David Skuse's academic profile

Jeanne Wolstencroft

Dr Jeanne Wolstencroft is a Senior Research Fellow and Teaching Associate based at the Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health at UCL. She is a co-chair of the GOS ICH Paediatric Mental Health Science Centre. Her main research interests are understanding the impact of co-occurring mental health difficulties in children and young people with neurodevelopmental disorders and/or rare genetic disorders and digital approaches to psycho-social intervention for these children and young people. 

She is currently investigating changes in the mental health and behaviour of children with rare genetic disorders, as part of the IMAGINE-ID programme of research. Jeanne is a co-investigator on the Children’s Autism Technology Assisted Assessments (CHATA) project which aims to digitise autism assessment procedures for families from diverse ethnic backgrounds and the Digital Family Support (DiFS) study which aims to see if an online family support programme (Stepping Stones Triple P [SSTP] Online) can improve behaviour and emotional problems in children with learning disabilities. 

Jeanne Wolstencroft's academic profile