Patrons

To support our further endeavours and ambitions, the British Brain Bee benefits from the voluntary time, effort and expertise of our renowned Patrons.

Sir Colin Brian Blakemore, FRS, FMedSci, FRSB, FBPhS, is a British neurobiologist, specialising in vision and the development of the brain. He is a Professor of Neuroscience and Philosophy in the School of Advanced Study, University of London and Emeritus Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Oxford. He was formerly Chief Executive of the British Medical Research Council (MRC). Sir Blakemore is best known to the public as a communicator of science, but also as the target of a long-running animal rights campaign. According to The Observer, he has been both “one of the most powerful scientists in the UK” and “a hate figure for the animal rights movement”.

Professor Uta Frith is best known for her research on autism spectrum disorders. Professor Frith is a Fellow of the Royal Society, the British Academy and the Academy of Medical Sciences. She is an Emeritus Professor of Cognitive Development at University College London and Research Foundation Professor at the Faculties of Humanities and Health Sciences, University of Aarhus, Denmark. Her book, Autism, Explaining the Enigma (1989) has been translated into many languages. She was one of the initiators of the study of Asperger’s Syndrome in the UK and her work on reading development, spelling and dyslexia has been highly influential.

Prof Paul Bolam is an Emeritus Professor of Anatomical Neuropharmacology and Emeritus Senior Scientist at the MRC Brain Networks Dynamics Unit at the University of Oxford. Paul’s research has focused on understanding the neuronal networks that constitute the basal ganglia by anatomical and combined quantitative anatomical and physiological approaches in health and in disease models, and he has published over two hundred articles on the subject.