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Statement regarding University of Leicester proposed redundancies in the Department of Neuroscience, Psychology & Behaviour

Statement from Cambridge Neuroscience

"The cessation of the basic neuroscience research programme and the related redundancy of 14 members of the Department of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour at the University of Leicester is deeply worrying. Speaking as a clinician-researcher whose attempts to understand the nature of mental illness have been inspired and informed by insights from basic neuroscience, it seems a real error to be curtailing the excellent neuroscience research that goes on in Leicester. Psychiatry and related clinical professions desperately need continuing insights emerging from the neuroscientific disciplines, a number of which, including computational neuroscience, systems neuroscience and cognitive neuroscience are all strongly represented in Leicester. Removing the contribution of this excellent faculty, particularly at a time when mental illness is such a pressing problem, would be a loss felt keenly by me and fellow clinical researchers. We need basic neuroscience, now more than ever."

Professor Paul Fletcher

Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge

Clinical Co-Director, Cambridge Neuroscience

"If anything, the current Covid-19 pandemic has shown us the fundamental importance of discovery research and its impact on health and society."

Professor Zoe Kourtzi

Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge

Biological Co-Director, Cambridge Neuroscience

We stand with, and support our neuroscience colleagues at the University of Leicester, and have signed the following open letter as a show of our support and invite you to do the same if you are in agreement.

Open Letter: https://tinyurl.com/SaveNPB-UoL

Dr Dervila Glynn

Strategic Manager, Cambridge Neuroscience

• Proposed changes at the University of Leicester
• Statement on BNA website

Posted on 05/02/2021