Duncan Astle

Duncan Astle is the Gnodde Goldman Sachs Professor of Neuroinformatics at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Robinson College. He leads the 4D Research Group, one of Cambridge’s largest neuroscience labs, studying how our brains develop and differ over the lifespan. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers, and his recent study showing how the human brain ages in five distinct epochs was an international media sensation, with over 365,000 downloads in its first four months. His work has been widely covered in the media, including front-page coverage in The Times and Guardian, features in the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, and broadcast coverage on the BBC and NBC. He appears regularly as a commentator on BBC Radio 4 and 5.

Duncan’s research has attracted more than £14 million in funding, and he has won numerous awards, including a British Academy Fellowship (2010), the British Association for Cognitive Neuroscience prize (2017), and the Celebrating Neurodiversity Award (2022) for impact in education and public policy. He was a lead author of the UK Government’s expert-led report on neurodivergence, helping to embed principles from his research into national guidance for neurodivergent young people. Previously Chair of the LGBTQ+ Network at the University of Cambridge (2020–24) and an advocate for Pride in STEM, Duncan is passionate about diversity in science and amplifying the voices of Queer scientists.