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The Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, KCL. This page is to showcase our exciting science and introduce you to the scientists behind it!

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Join us today for the internal seminar! See you soon!

#kings #kingscollegelondon by @kcl_cdn

NEW PAPER ALERT!!!

#kingscollegelondon #neuroscience by @kcl_cdn

CONSCIOUS

Fondazione Prada | Human Brains
29 October 2026, 8PM
Cinema Godard, L.go Isaro, 2, 20139, Milan

Working with renowned neuroscientist Anil Seth, whose research and ideas form an important part of the film, Suki explores questions of consciousness, memory and our sense of self.

For CONSCIOUS, scientists at King’s College London generously shared confocal time-lapse imagery capturing the developing brain - revealing intricate processes normally invisible to the human eye.

We spoke to some of the scientists involved:

“I still find it incredible every time I observe neurons as they change shape to form connections during embryonic brain development. Although the developmental system is robust, each neuron is delicate. It is poignant to consider this in the context of CONSCIOUS, which considers the fragility of these cells and the changes in the brain associated with another phase of transformation, dementia.”
Dr Rachel Moore, Neurobiologist

“One of my first memories is of my mother standing me on a bedroom windowsill to see a huge elm tree being cut down in the field behind our house. That bright morning is locked away within the branches of an ensemble of neurons somewhere in my brain. How permanent it will be is anyone’s guess.

Studying the tree-like arborizations of insect neurons has brought me great joy. Their exquisite beauty can really take your breath away. Seeing them deconstruct and then rebuild themselves during metamorphosis makes me wonder about the dynamics of my own neurons, particularly that small constellation of cells holding my precious first memory.”
Dr Darren W Williams, Reader in Developmental Neurobiology

“Conscious is a powerful, sensitive presentation of one of the most complex, human biological systems of all. Using a beautifully crafted blend of research, lived experience and art, Suki has created a fresh, touching journey into the world of the brain. This film honours the science, impact and people touched by dementia and gives hope and understanding across this, sometimes difficult, landscape.”
Dr Leigh J Wilson, Public Engagement Manager

We’re grateful to our partners, funders & collaborators ❤️ by @kcl_cdn

Thrilled to announce CONSCIOUS has been selected to screen at Fondazione Prada’s visionary Human Brains project.

Human Brains brings together neuroscience, culture and cinema to explore the complexities of the human brain and consciousness.

In her debut feature, Suki Chan crafts a sensorial and intimate journey into the human mind, weaving together the lived experiences of three remarkable women - Wendy Mitchell, Pegeen O’Sullivan and Maureen Winfield - with the work of renowned neuroscientist Anil Seth.

Exploring consciousness, identity and memory, the film considers what happens to our sense of self as the brain changes, and finds beauty, growth and resilience in places we might least expect them.

Written & directed by Suki Chan

🎵 Music by Dominik Scherrer, Ivor Novello Award-winning composer.

📍 Fondazione Prada, Milan
🗓 29 October 2026, 8PM
📌 Cinema Godard, L.go Isarco, 2, 20139, Milan

Followed by a Q&A with director Suki Chan and Professor Daniela Perani.

We’re deeply grateful to our partners, funders and collaborators who helped bring this film to life:

@aconitedocs @profanilseth @maureen.winfield @screenscots @sundanceorg @britishfilminstitute @thedocsociety @fondazioneprada by @kcl_cdn

We are excited to announce a new publication in Nature Communications by Fazal Oozeer and Prof Phillip Gordon-Weeks from the CDN, in collaboration with Dr Joe Atherton's lab at the Randall Centre at KCL!

The study is the first to reveal the atomic structure of Drebrin, and how it binds to F-actin.

Prof Phillip Gordon-Weeks and Dr Joe Atherton have been awarded a 4-year BBSRC grant to further investigate the structural analysis of Drebrin/EB3 pathway!

Swipe to find out more. by @kcl_cdn

We are excited to annouce a new publication in Neuron by Dr Phoebe Reynolds (first author) from Professor Robert Hindges' lab here at the CDN!

These findings are the first to show that a developing visual environment can alter the structure and function of neurons in the retina and that these changes directly influence behaviour. They also challenge the traditional view of the retina as relatively fixed “hardware”, suggesting that early visual experience can shape even the earliest stages of visual processing.

Visit our links in bio to find out more. by @kcl_cdn

DNA CREATE 2026 has come to a close. Across five days, over 40 students from 25 unique schools in and around London explored cutting-edge neuroscience research through the lenses of Branching & Patterning, Signalling, Maintenance/Growth/Decay, and Behaviour & Interactions.

Culminating in eight original sci-art pieces displayed for a week at @scigallerylon, where they were seen by over 1,900 visitors.

Major thanks to the @kcl_cdn community, especially the fantastic researcher tutors, lab hosts and the business ops team; incredible collabs with artistic partners, Mel Frances and Charlie Murphy (@thephotonicexcitors) and finally, huge gratitude to our inspiring CREATE participants who brought such inspiring energy, open-mindedness, fun and excitement to DNA CREATE 2026💙

#DNACreate #DevNeuroAcademy #Neuroscience #WideningParticipation #ScienceOutreach by @kcl_cdn

DNA CREATE 2026 is coming soon!!! 🧬🧠🎨
We’re getting ready to welcome 45 Year 12 students from 25 schools across 20 London Boroughs for the DNA outreach programme aiming to bring neuroscience and creativity together.
Over the course of a week, students will work alongside artists, Mel Frances and Charlie Murphy and researchers from all career stages and roles to get hands-on with exploring and understanding neuroscience through interactive workshops, lab experiences and co-creation of neuro-art projects.

Building towards a fantastic public exhibition at @scigallerycafelondon, students and researchers will showcase what happens when scientific enquiry and discovery research meets creativity.

Led by Programme Director and Public Engagement Manager at @klcdn Dr Leigh Wilson, with Mel Frances as Creative Director and the wider DNA CREATE team:
Afra, Andrew, Asma, Charlie, Marina, and Richard and our tutors and facilitators With thanks to Harris Academies and all our partner schools for their continued collaboration, and to everyone at klada @cndd_mrc @kingsioppn supporting the programme behind the scenes.
Want to follow along on the DNA CREATE journey? Follow @dev_neuro_academy #DNAChampions #CDNKings #DevNeuroAcademy #DevelopmentallNeurobiology Neuroscience by @kcl_cdn

🎨 Now open: Autism Research: Growing Up

This exhibition is based on research from the groups of Prof. Emily Jones, Prof. Tony Charman and Prof. Mark Johnson. It was created by Dr Tessel Bazelmans and co-produced with @charliemurphy_artiststudio Murphy, Dr Leigh Wilson and Julia Landstedt.

This exhibition shares 20 years of the British Autism Study of Infant Siblings (BASIS), alongside reflections from families through our BASIS-CANVAS project (Collecting Adolescents’ Narratives Visualised through Art and Stories).

As the infants in our earliest studies have grown, so has our research alongside them. The field is shifting from a purely clinical lens into a collaborative partnership, and throughout the exhibition you’ll find data presented side-by-side with personal stories and artwork created by the families involved 🧠✨

Across three themes, family experiences, the evolution of our research, and the tools of discovery we use (eye-tracking, fNIRS, EEG, and more), the exhibition traces participants’ journeys from their first weeks of life through to adolescence, and asks what we still have to learn.

Come not just to observe but to participate, with installations throughout the gallery for you to add your own reflections.

📍 The Exchange, @exchangespacekcl, Strand Campus
🗓️ Open now until 25 June
🕒 Tue–Fri 15:00–18:00 | Sat 12:00–17:00

Exhibition curation by Public Engagement Manager @kcl_cdn Dr Leigh Wilson

#AutismResearch #Neurodiversity #BASIS #BASISCANVAS #developmentalneuroscience by @kcl_cdn

Join us today for the internal seminar! We’ll be hearing from PhD students Christina and Marva! Don’t miss it 🧬🧫

#phd #kingscollegelondon by @kcl_cdn

We are so proud to announce that our very own @alyssa_scicomms, Science Communication and Public Engagement intern at the @kcl_cdn, working under the mentorship of Dr Leigh Wilson, has won the Josh Award 2026, a National Award from the @big_stem_communicators_network for science communication and engagement! 🏆✨

Alyssa’s winning project, ‘What Remains’, is a community-led participatory science project exploring the biomedical science of death alongside the cultural practices, rituals, and stories of diverse communities surrounding Guy’s Campus and London Bridge. Through a series of Death Café-style gatherings, community members will sit alongside death and biomedical professionals in a genuine two-way dialogue, exploring topics including decomposition, organ donation, forensic pathology, and the history of embalming, not as passive recipients of knowledge, but as co-producers of it.

Every session will generate oral histories, personal testimonies, and community-authored science writing, all woven together into a professionally designed zine. Alyssa will present live at the British Science Festival in Southampton and at Cheltenham Science Festival, bringing these community voices into some of the UK’s biggest public science spaces. 🔍🔬

Josh Award Committee Chair Tim Phillips at the @big_stem_communicators_network said the project was chosen for tackling “the presently, culturally, felt-to-be-difficult topic of Death” in a positive, accessible, and community-centred way. We couldn’t agree more. We cannot wait to see what remains. 🖤

#JoshAward #BIGSTEM #BIGSTEMCOMMUNICATORSNETWORK #WhatRemains #ScienceCommunication DeathCafe DeathPositive BiomedicalScience CommunityScience SciComm PublicEngagement DeathLiteracy BritishScienceFestival CheltenhamScienceFestival KingsCollegeLondon GordonMuseum Zine CommunityZine OrganDonation ForensicPathology DeathAndDying SciCommUK by @kcl_cdn

Join us today for our internal seminar! Can’t wait to see you there!

#phd #kingscollegelondon by @kcl_cdn