Morning Session
Your BNA session is an opportunity for you to meet members of the British Neuroscience Association including Prof Tara Spires-Jones, who served as President of the British Neuroscience Association from 2023-2025, our current president - Professor Ramnani, BNA council’s honorary secretary Professor Sarah King, and Membership & Communities Manager - Dani Wijesinghe.
This session will give you insight into what we do as an organisation, how we support the neuroscience community and just to learn more about us.
Prof Tara Spires-Jones, DPhil(Oxon), FMedSci runs a research group studying brain changes in ageing and neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease. Her laboratory studies the synaptic connections between neurons, which in a healthy brain allow learning and memory. The goal of the group is to understand the mechanisms of synapse degeneration and resilience in order to develop treatments that will promote recovery of brain function. Dr Spires-Jones received her DPhil from the University of Oxford and was an Assistant Professor at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School before returning to the UK to join the University of Edinburgh in 2013.
In addition to her research, Prof Spires-Jones is passionate about communicating scientific findings to the public and policy makers; increasing the rigour and reproducibility in translational neuroscience; promoting inclusivity and diversity in science; and supporting the career development of neuroscientists. She is a founding member of the FENS-Kavli Network of Excellence, which works to promote the future of European Neuroscience. She served as a member of the Scottish Science Advisory Council from 2016-2019 advising the Scottish Government on science policy, and in 2024 was elected a Fellow of the UK Academy of Medical Sciences. Tara served as President of the British Neuroscience Association from 2023-2025.
Professor Ramnani is a distinguished Professor of Neuroscience at Royal Holloway, University of London, where his research group uses functional neuroimaging to understand brain organisation, and brain mechanisms that govern higher cognitive function, learning processes, and the control of action.
He is also Vice Dean for EDI at Royal Holloway’s School of Life Sciences and the Environment. Beyond his university roles, he is a member of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee APPG Advisory Group. He also makes contributions to equity, diversity, and inclusion through his contributions to the BNA Scholars programme, his role on the BBSRC's Expert EDI Advisory Group and his governance role as a member of the Governance Committee of Advance HE's Race Equality Charter. A commitment to fostering a strong, collaborative, and inclusive research community underscores the priorities he brings to the Presidency.
Professor Ramnani is a distinguished Professor of Neuroscience at Royal Holloway, University of London, where his research group uses functional neuroimaging to understand brain organisation, and brain mechanisms that govern higher cognitive function, learning processes, and the control of action.
He is also Vice Dean for EDI at Royal Holloway’s School of Life Sciences and the Environment. Beyond his university roles, he is a member of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee APPG Advisory Group. He also makes contributions to equity, diversity, and inclusion through his contributions to the BNA Scholars programme, his role on the BBSRC's Expert EDI Advisory Group and his governance role as a member of the Governance Committee of Advance HE's Race Equality Charter. A commitment to fostering a strong, collaborative, and inclusive research community underscores the priorities he brings to the Presidency.
Prof Tara Spires-Jones, DPhil(Oxon), FMedSci runs a research group studying brain changes in ageing and neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease. Her laboratory studies the synaptic connections between neurons, which in a healthy brain allow learning and memory. The goal of the group is to understand the mechanisms of synapse degeneration and resilience in order to develop treatments that will promote recovery of brain function. Dr Spires-Jones received her DPhil from the University of Oxford and was an Assistant Professor at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School before returning to the UK to join the University of Edinburgh in 2013.
In addition to her research, Prof Spires-Jones is passionate about communicating scientific findings to the public and policy makers; increasing the rigour and reproducibility in translational neuroscience; promoting inclusivity and diversity in science; and supporting the career development of neuroscientists. She is a founding member of the FENS-Kavli Network of Excellence, which works to promote the future of European Neuroscience. She served as a member of the Scottish Science Advisory Council from 2016-2019 advising the Scottish Government on science policy, and in 2024 was elected a Fellow of the UK Academy of Medical Sciences. Tara served as President of the British Neuroscience Association from 2023-2025.
