Autism: A global concern

Autism is a set of neurodevelopmental conditions. Core disabilities include difficulty in communicating, in relating to others socially, and adjusting to unexpected change. Autistic people also show atypical learning styles, with unusually narrow interests, excellent attention to detail and pattern recognition skills and are an example of neurodiversity. Autism prevalence is 1 to 2%, with boys three times as likely as girls to be diagnosed. The estimated annual cost of autism to the UK economy is £32b. Brain imaging reveals atypical brain development in autistic people and genetic studies suggest that many hundreds of genes are associated with autism.

Cambridge University’s Autism Research Centre (ARC)

Directed by Professor Sir Simon BaronCohen, a world renowned autism researcher and former President of the International Society for Autism Research, the ARC comprises approximately 30 research scientists and support staff, drawn from a range of disciplines. The ARC is also partnered with many charities (such as the Autism Centre for Excellence (ACE) at Cambridge) and companies (such as Auticon and Universal Music). The ARC’s core mission is to understand the biomedical causes of autism, to evaluate promising interventions for autistic people, and to improve the health and well-being of autistic people and their families. To achieve this mission, the ARC collaborates with world class scientists and works closely with clinical, educational and occupational support services to translate and implement evidence-based best practice

Postdoctoral Researchers to accelerate high-priority areas of study

The ARC aims to fundamentally change how the world understands and treats autism within the next ten years by focusing on autism research and support services. To make significant and rapid progress, we urgently need to attract the highest calibre researchers from a range of scientific and clinical academic backgrounds including biology, physics, engineering and big data. The ARC seeks to fully fund five postdoctoral researchers for a period of five years to significantly expand and consolidate the base of autism research in Cambridge.

The administration of these new posts will be through the Autism Research Centre (ARC) in the Department of Psychiatry in Cambridge and the charity the Autism Centre of Excellence (ACE) at Cambridge

Trinity alumni may fund researchers through donations to Trinity College. Researchers funded via Trinity will be affiliated with the College as Trinity Research Associates and members of the Trinity Post-Doctoral Society.

Donors are sought to fund each post, multiple posts or the whole programme. Donors will receive annual reports and will be invited to the ARC and Trinity to meet the researchers.

To discuss your interest or suggest possible supporters please contact:

Bill O’Hearn
Director
Alumni Relations & Development Office,
Trinity College, Cambridge
CB2 1TQ
+44 (0)1223 338484
bill.ohearn@trin.cam.ac.uk