Faraneh Vargha-Khadem is Emerita Professor of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience at UCL, and Honorary Consultant Neuropsychologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children. Born in Tehran, Iran, Professor Vargha-Khadem commenced her post-graduate studies at McGill University, Montreal, Canada, obtained her doctoral degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA, and completed her post-doctoral fellowship at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, McGill University Health Centre, Canada. She subsequently joined the Faculty of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University in 1981, where she held an honorary research lectureship for two years before moving to London, England. Having accepted a faculty research position at University College London (UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health) in 1983, she went on to undertake the leadership of the Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Department at the Institute of Child Health (ICH), and the Clinical Neuropsychology Service at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children London in 1987.
During this period, she helped create the first academic Unit of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience in the United Kingdom (UK) where she has held a chair. She also served as the head of the Department of Pediatric Clinical Neuropsychology at Great Ormond Street Hospital. The academic and clinical staff in the Pediatric Clinical Neuropsychology Service work collaboratively to offer a comprehensive neuropsychology service for children, adolescents, and their families. Staff members are committed to translational research with the aim of improving service delivery for children with chronic or acquired brain disorders.
Professor Vargha-Khadem also established and undertook the directorship of the UCL Centre for Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. Elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2000, she has received a number of awards, including the 2006 Jean Louis Signoret Prize for her contributions to genetics of behavior. Her research has been supported by major program grants from the Medical Research Council, and through collaborations, The Wellcome Trust, Action Medical Research, the National Institute of Mental Health, USA, and charities, such as The Epilepsy Research Foundation UK. Professor Vargha-Khadem’s research and clinical work is directed toward understanding the cognitive and behavioral deficits of brain-injured children in relation to the extent and timing of the underlying neuropathology. The goal is to develop new knowledge about the ontogeny of specific neural systems in the face of early brain injury. Together with her colleagues, she has made major contributions to understanding the neural circuitry involved in episodic memory, speech and language, and brain reorganization after early injury.
Faraneh is an advocate for the oneness of humanity and for all that elevates the human spirit. She has previously served as a judge for the Templeton Prize.
