Neuroscience researchers at the University of Leicester face redundancy

3rd Feb 2021

The University of Leicester has this week stated their intention to disinvest in basic, discovery neuroscience and mechanistic animal behaviour research and, as a consequence, research-led teaching in these areas.

Currently centred in the Department of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour (NPB), neuroscience at Leicester includes research into understanding memory, Huntington’s disease, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, or Motor Neuron Disease), schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease. Fundamental research addresses the mechanistic basis of sensory and motor systems, and the roles of neuromodulators like serotonin in regulating behaviour. The Department includes the discoverer of ‘Concept Cells’ (or ‘Jennifer Aniston neurons’). 

In all, fourteen ‘Teaching & Research’ staff in Systems Neuroscience and Mechanisms of Animal Behaviour are set to be made redundant, to be replaced by five ‘Teaching-focused' posts.

Work within the Department aimed at understanding the fundamental principles of neuroscience not only allows new treatments and applications to be developed, but addresses key challenges in ageing as well as animal and human behaviour. 

The Leicester neuroscience community is currently seeking to overturn the University’s proposal.