Professor Barbara J. Sahakian is Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge.
She is a Fellow of the British Academy and the Academy of Medical Sciences, and a past President of both the International Neuroethics Society and the British Association for Psychopharmacology. Widely recognised as one of the world’s leading researchers in Neuroscience and Psychology (Research.com), she has made pioneering contributions to the understanding of the neural basis of cognitive, emotional, and behavioural dysfunction.
Professor Sahakian’s research is dedicated to improving the early detection and differential diagnosis of neuropsychiatric disorders and to developing more effective pharmacological and psychological treatments. Her lab conducts proof-of-concept studies with cognitive-enhancing drugs and uses a range of techniques, including neuropsychological testing, neuroimaging (fMRI and PET), psychopharmacology, and genetics. Participants include both healthy volunteers and patient groups with conditions such as brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease, ADHD, OCD, depression, mania, and substance use disorders.
A co-inventor of the CANTAB computerised cognitive tests, widely used in both clinical and research settings worldwide, Professor Sahakian has also co-developed the EMOTICOM battery for social and emotional cognition, as well as cognitive games such as PEAK Wizard and Decoder. Her recent research has expanded into pharmacogenomics and neuroethics, driven by findings on substances like methylphenidate, modafinil, atomoxetine, and MDMA.
She has published over 550 scientific papers in leading journals including Science, Nature, and The Lancet, with an h-index of 159 (Google Scholar). She has contributed extensively to science policy, notably as part of the UK Government’s Foresight Project on Mental Capital and Wellbeing, and was an invited speaker at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2014.
In addition to her academic work, Professor Sahakian is a passionate science communicator. She is the co-author of two acclaimed books published by Oxford University Press—Bad Moves: How Decision Making Goes Wrong and the Ethics of Smart Drugs and Sex, Lies & Brain Scans (winner of the British Psychological Society Popular Book Award)—and writes regularly for The Conversation.
She holds both a PhD and a DSc from the University of Cambridge and is a qualified Clinical Psychologist.
