Professor Uta Frith DBE, FRS, FBA, FmedSci, ML
University College London Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, 17 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AZ
email: u.frith@ucl.ac.uk
Qualifications
- Vordiplom Experimental Psychology (1964), Universität des Saarlandes, Saarbrücken
- Diploma in Abnormal Psychology (1966), Institute of Psychiatry, University of London
- Ph.D. in Psychology (1968), Institute of Psychiatry, University of London.
Posts Held
- 2007 – 2016 Aarhus University Research Foundation Professor
- 2006 – Emeritus Professor of Cognitive Development, University College London
- 1996 – 2006 Professor of Cognitive Development, University College London
- 1968 – 2006 MRC Scientist
Awards and Honours
- Honorary Doctorates from the Universities of Göteborg (1998), St. Andrews (2000), Palermo (2004), York (2004), Nottingham (2007), Cambridge (2012), Aston (2015), Bath (2016), Lincoln (2018)
- Elected Fellow of Academia Europaea (1992), British Academy (2001), Academy of Medical Sciences (2001), Royal Society (2005), German National Academy Leopoldina (2009)
- Elected Foreign Associate National Academy of Sciences US (2012)
- Elected Foreign Member of Royal Society of Arts and Sciences Göteborg (2008),
- 2018 Hüttenlocher Award lecture Flux Society of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
- 2017-18 President of the British Science Association
- 2014 Jean Nicod Prize CNRS ENS (jointly with Chris Frith)
- 2014 Fellow Institute for Advanced Studies Central European University Budapest
- 2013 William James Fellow Lifetime Achievement Award, Association for Psychological Science
- 2012 Honorary DBE
- 2010 Mind & Brain Prize, Centre for Cognitive Science Torino University
- 2009 European Latsis Prize “Brain and Mind” jointly with Chris Frith
- 2009 BPS Research Board Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2008 Honorary Fellow Newnham College Cambridge
- 2008 UKRC Women of Outstanding Achievement in SET
- 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award International Association for Autism Research
- 2007 Samuel T. Orton Award International Dyslexia Association
- 2007 Honorary Fellow UCL
- 2006 Society for Educational Studies Book Prize for “The Learning Brain” with SJ Blakemore
- 2006 Honorary Fellow British Psychological Society
- 2006 President Experimental Psychology Society
- 2005 Burghölzli Award, University of Zurich Medical School
- 2004 Robert Sommer Award, University of Giessen Medical School
- 2003 Jean Louis Signoret Prize of the Ipsen Foundation for Neuropsychology
- 1990 The President’s Award of the British Psychological Society
Biosketch
I was born and educated in Germany. I trained in clinical psychology at the University of London’s Institute of Psychiatry and completed my Ph.D. thesis on autism in 1968. From 1968 until 2006 I was a research scientist funded by the Medical Research Council UK and affiliated to UCL. I was a founder member of UCL’s Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and was deputy director from 1996-2006. In 2006 I became Emeritus Professor of Cognitive Development at UCL and Visiting Professor at the University of Aarhus, Denmark. In my work I developed some of the major and still prevailing cognitive theories of autism and dyslexia and tested these theories at the behavioural and brain systems level. I have published around 250 papers and books, and was listed in 2014 as among the 200 most eminent psychologists of the modern era. In the last few years I have increased my efforts in promoting diversity in science and science communication, including documentaries for BBC’s Horizon.
Academic Service
- Member of MRC Strategy Group on effects of lead on cognitive development, 1980 – 1982
- Member of co-ordinating committee of European Science Foundation Network on Literacy, 1990-1994.
- Member of the MRC Mental Health and Neurosciences Board, 1996-1999.
- Member of the MRC Strategy Development Group Subgroup on Research into Inflammatory Bowel Disorders and Autism, 1998 – 2002
- Member of MRC Autism Review group and chair of Psychology and Psychiatry subgroup, 2001 – 2002
- Member of International Panel of Advisors for Department of Cognitive Studies at Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris, 2002 – 2006
- Advisory Panel of OECD Network on Learning Science 2003 – 2006
- Member of the Communications Committee British Academy 2002 –2006
- Member of UCL Bogue Fellowship Committee, 2002 – 2007
- Member University of London Academic Trust Funds Committee, 2005 – 2006
- Editorial board membership (2000-2012): Cognition; Dyslexia; Developmental Psychology; Journal of Cognitive Development; Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
- Member of Royal Society Panel for University Research Fellowships 2006 – 2010
- Chair of Royal Society Library Committee 2008 – 2012
- Member of Royal Society Sectional Committee 8 2009- 2012
- Chair of British Academy Psychology Section 2008-2011
- Member of UCL Honorary Degrees committee 2009 –
- Chair of Royal Society Working Group Impact of Neuroscience on Education 2009-11
- Trustee of the Sir John Soane Museum 2009-2014
- Member Academia Europaea Section Committee Behavioural Sciences 2012 –
- Chair of jury for Royal Society Prize for Science Books 2013
- Member Steering Committee AHRC Women in Science Research Network 2012-2014
- Member of Wellcome Trust Large Arts Grants Committee 2014-16
- Member of jury for Wellcome Trust Book Prize 2015
- Member of jury for Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize, Zürich 2015-
- Elected Member of Council, Royal Society 2007-08; 2014-17
- Chair of Royal Society Diversity Committee 2014-18
- Member of Selection Committee for NAS Troland Award for Psychology and Cognitive Sciences 2016; Atkinson Award Committee 2017
Selected publications
Bibliography: https://iris.ucl.ac.uk/iris/browse/profile?upi=UFRIT79 https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=ID7vMY4AAAAJ&hl=en
Interacting Minds – A Biological Basis. Frith, CD; Frith, U (1999) Science 286(5445),1692-1695
Dyslexia: Cultural Diversity and Biological Unity. Paulesu E. et al. & Frith, U. (2001) Science, 291, 2165-2167.
The Weak Central Coherence Account: detail focused cognitive style in autism spectrum disorders. Happé, F. & Frith, U. (2006) J Autism Dev Disorders, 36(1), 5-25
Mindblind eyes: an absence of spontaneous Theory of Mind in Asperger Syndrome. Senju, A., Southgate, V., White, S. and Frith, U. (2009) Science 325(5942):883-5
Mechanisms of Social Cognition. Frith, C.D. & Frith, U. (2012) Annu Rev Psychol. 63, 287-313
Why we need cognitive explanations of autism. Frith, U. (2012) Q J Exp Psychol, 65(11):2073-92
Autism and Dyslexia: A glance over 25 years of research. Frith, U. (2013) Perspect Psych Sci
Books
Frith, U. (1980) Cognitive Processes in Spelling. London: Academic Press.
Frith, U. (1989/2003) Autism: Explaining the Enigma. Oxford: Blackwell
Frith, U. (1991) Autism and Asperger Syndrome. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Blakemore, SJ & Frith, U. (2005) The Learning Brain. Lessons for Education
Frith, U. (2008) A Very Short Introduction to Autism. Oxford: Oxford University Press