Welcome to the CBU

At the Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit (CBU) we study human cognition and the brain. The Unit has about 90 researchers and postgraduate students investigating topics such as attention, emotion, language and memory.  We are funded by the Medical Research Council whose aim is to turn scientific knowledge into benefits for health and well-being. For example, we are developing new treatments for depression, improving hearing through cochlear implants, and helping children to overcome memory problems. With a large collection of scientists engaged in both basic and translational research on the mind and brain, the Unit provides an exceptional training and academic environment that benefits postgraduate students and researchers at all levels.

Most of our work takes place at the Unit’s Chaucer Road site, which houses the majority of our staff and our laboratory facilities. A significant part of our research makes use of brain imaging and we have excellent on-site facilities for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG). National and international collaborations enable work with selected animal models of higher cognition. We also have clinical facilities at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, and close links both with the hospital and with Cambridge University.