Veena Kumari

Current Research Institution

Brunel University London Research Institute, London (United Kingdom)

Current Position(s)

Professor of Psychology & Director of the Centre for Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience (CCN)

Research Interests

I am a cognitive neuroscientist and apply experimental psychology, clinical psychology, electrophysiology and neuroimaging methods to translational understanding of psychiatric disorders. My main research interests are: (i) neurobiological assessment of cognitive and affective processes (including development of novel paradigms to achieve this) in psychosis, anxiety, depression and personality disorders, (ii) multimodal evaluation of pharmacological (antipsychotic and pro/anti-cholinergic drugs in particular) and psychological therapies for mental disorders (including mindfulness, CBT for psychosis, and psychological interventions for maltreated children) and (iii) sex and personality influences in brain functioning. More recently, I have expanded my research focus to include the impact of environmental factors, including noise pollution, air quality, and diet on brain function and mental health across the life span.

Why I recommend Bonn

I first came to Bonn to work with my colleague, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Ettinger, supported by a Humboldt Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Prof Ettinger is one of the world-leading cognitive neuroscientists and we combined our expertise to discover the impact of sleep deprivation on cognitive function and psychosis-relevant behaviours. While working with his team and other colleagues in Bonn, I experienced an extremely supportive research environment and was impressed by their cutting-edge methods and laboratory facilities for investigating functions of the human brain. I also loved my stay in one of the university apartments by the river and have been visiting Bonn every year in recent years. My group has been actively collaborating with Bonn colleagues for over 8 years now and we expect these to continue for many more years. I look forward to my future Bonn visits, and highly recommend the University of Bonn to international students and researchers.

Thinking of coming to Bonn? Our Bonn University Ambassador Prof. Dr. Veena Kumari is happy to answer your questions about joining the University of Bonn as an international doctoral student or researcher.