Professor Peter W Halligan PhD DSc FBPsS FPSI FMedSci FRSB
Professor Halligan gained qualifications in psychology, philosophy and education at University College Dublin. A research psychologist and neuroscientist by background, he has worked in neuropsychology, neuropsychiatry and neuro-rehabilitation. In 1985, he moved from Ireland to work at Rivermead, a specialist NHS neuro-rehabilitation Centre in Oxford as a research psychologist while also perusing a PhD in neuropsychology. In 1987, he joined the Neuropsychology Unit at the Department of Clinical Neurology in Oxford University and in 1997 following a MRC Senior Research Fellowship award joined the Department of Experimental Psychology in Oxford. In 2000, he moved to Cardiff’s School of Psychology as a Distinguished Research Professor. In 2003, he became the founding Director of the Cardiff University’s Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC) and later in 2006 Dean of Interdisciplinary Studies at Cardiff University. In 2012, he joined Universities Wales as Head of Strategic Futures as part of a 2 year secondment before joining the Learned Society of Wales in 2015 as Chief Executive.
At Cardiff, he played a central role in establishing Cardiff University’s Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), Wales Research and Diagnostic Positron Emission Tomography Imaging Centre (PETIC), Wales Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience (WICN), the UnumProvident Centre for Psychosocial and Disability Research, the Cardiff Cognitive Neuroscience Seminar Series, School of Psychology MindArt project, the Haydn Ellis Distinguished Lecture Series and Cardiff’s University Research Institutes.
His own research has been reported widely in the national and international media including New York Times, Conversation, Economist, New Scientist, Guardian, Western Mail, BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5, BBC Radio 4. He is Co-editor of the international journal Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, and has published over 200 papers including papers in Nature, BMJ, Lancet, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, Trends in Cognitive Science and also edited 10 books.
He was a former Director of the British Neuropsychiatry Association, and is a member of QS World University Rankings Advisory Board and Science Advisory Council for Wales.
In 1993, he was awarded the British Psychological Society’s early career Spearman Medal for outstanding published research and in 2005 the BPS Presidents’ Award for outstanding contributions to psychology. He is recognized as a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, Psychological Society of Ireland, Academy of Medical Sciences and Royal Society of Biology.
From 2010-2014, he was Chair and Academic lead of the Welsh Crucible, the all -Wales staff leadership programme for early career researchers. This flagship researcher development programme, showcased at the European Commission in Brussels, won the Times Higher Education Award for Outstanding Contribution to Leadership Development in 2013.
He takes up the CSAW post in March 2018.
