Research Projects

BASIS The British Autism Study of Infant Siblings (BASIS) is a collaborative research network for studying the development of brothers and sisters of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

The Bedtime Boost Study is looking at the impact of bedtime activities on sleep and attention in babies.

Our team combines behavioural observations and information recorded with child-friendly neuroimaging techniques to see how the children’s brain responds to what they hear and see.

In collaboration with the University of Manchester, we study the behavioural development of babies with NF1 and seek to identify early markers of Autism and ADHD.

The Brain Imaging for Global Health project is a longitudinal collaboration of researchers from UCL, Birkbeck, KCL and the MRC Gambia, examining developmental trajectories of babies over the first 1000 days of life.

The ELC study is an exciting new collaboration with UCL and the fieldwork agency IPSOS. We are looking for  6-11 months to help us study babies’ physical, brain and cognitive development in the home.

In collaboration with the University of Manchester, we study the behavioural development of babies with NF1 and seek to identify early markers of Autism and ADHD.

In collaboration with King’s College London, we study the early development of babies with Tuberous Sclerosis (TSC) to learn more about the condition with an aim of improving outcomes.

The Empathy Project aims to understand the early development of empathy in young children. By uncovering the factors that promote the development of empathy, we can help foster these skills in children who have difficulties in social interactions.

The INTERLEARN programme successfully trained a cohort of five PhD students who led a new European-wide initiative to deliver technologically advanced and scientifically rigorous individualised learning paradigms. 

The aims of the current project are to understand individual differences during infancy that may be associated with specific neurocognitive characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease.

The primary aim of the project is to leverage new technological advances to study infants’ and toddlers’ body movements, gaze direction, and brain activity as they spontaneously and actively explore the world around them.

We are rolling out a study to see how children/adolescents' learning might be affected by various noises and distractions from the home, and how some children who are more experienced with noise might be better able to cope with this.

The Problem Solving in Early Development project studies how the development of behaviour and brain when toddlers and preschoolers are solving a problem in interaction with another person.

SAPIENS is a collaborative and unique European network that trained a cohort of 15 international PhD students who successfully led projects of excellence into the study of early social brain development and the mechanisms of early social interactions between infants and caregivers.

Touch plays an important role in perception and early social and communicative development. This study looks at 3-6 year olds with ASD to analyse brain and tablet-based touch responses in order to make a subject-specific sensory-profile. We aim to better understand the effect of specific sensory subtypes on later performance, including education and social life.

The Studying Autism and ADHD Risks will be specifically researching the early development of baby brothers and sisters of children with autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit disorders and typical development.

The SENSE Study is a collaboration between UCL, UCL Hospital, and Birkbeck, investigating how full-term and preterm babies (born before 37 weeks) respond to touch — one of the earliest ways we explore the world. We’re looking at how these early experiences influence brain development, behaviour, and sensory skills into toddlerhood.

The SENSOR project seeks to understand the brain and cognitive mechanisms that drive individual differences in sensory processing and responsivity in toddlers, and the impact of sensory processing differences on early development.

Open Tracking Early Human Development, from Basic Science to Applications