Topic: brain evolution

Lead research on distributed neural computation and brain evolution using the acoel Hofstenia miamia. The project combines circuit imaging, activity recordings, neural perturbations, behavioural analysis and computational methods to explain how repeated circuit units produce coordinated, adaptive behaviour. This is a full-time, four-year appointment in London, starting from £47,500 annually with benefits. The institute states that this role is eligible for UK visa sponsorship. Applications close on 11 October 2026 at 23:59, according to the current employer advert.

Brains do not fossilise, but as they grow and expand during fetal and infant development, they leave an imprint in the bony braincase. Such imprints of fossilised braincases provide direct evidence of brain evolution, but the underlying biological changes have remained elusive. Combining data from fossil skulls, ancient genomes, brain imaging and gene expression helps shed light on the evolutionary changes shaping the human brain. I will highlight two examples separated by more than 3 million years: the evolution of brain growth in Lucy and her kind, and differences between modern humans and N

Drawing on recent findings from evolutionary anthropology and neuroscience, professor Barton will lead us through the amazing story of the evolution of human cognition. Usingstatistical, phylogenetic analyses that tease apart the variation associated with different neural systems and due to different selection pressures, he will be addressing intriguing questions like ‘Why are there so many neurons in the cerebellum?’, ‘Is the neocortex the ‘intelligent’ bit of the brain?’, and ‘What explains that the recognition by humans of emotional expressions is disrupted by trancranial magnetic stimulati