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Francesca Happé

Professor Francesca Happé PhD

Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience

Research interests

  • Neuroscience

Biography

For the last 30 years, my primary research focus has been autism. My work has explored the nature of social understanding in neurotypical development and ‘mentalising’ difficulties in autism. I’m also actively engaged in studies of abilities and assets in autism, and their relation to detail-focused cognitive style. Some of my most recent work focuses on mental health on the autism spectrum, and under-researched subgroups including women and the elderly. My research methods have spanned cognitive experiments, functional neuroimaging, exploration of acquired brain lesions, and behaviour genetic approaches. I am a Fellow of the British Academy and the Academy of Medical Sciences, past-President of the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR; 2013-2015), and have been fortunate to receive the British Psychological Society Spearman Medal and President’s Award, the Experimental Psychology Society Prize and the Royal Society Rosalind Franklin Award, as well as a CBE for services to the study of autism. I am co-author/editor of recent books including: Autism: A New Introduction to Psychological Theory and Debate (with Sue Fletcher-Watson), Girls and Autism: Educational, Family and Personal Perspectives (with Barry Carpenter and Jo Egerton), and Learning From Autistic Teachers: How to be a Neurodiversity-Inclusive School (with Rebecca Wood and colleagues).

Research interests:

  • Autism 
  • Social cognition 
  • Configural-featural processing and individual differences 
  • Acquired brain injury/stroke and social/emotional difficulties 
  • Design of novel socio-cognitive tasks and measures 

Research groups:

Leads the Re:Spect Lab

Lead the Social Relationships Study with Dr Emma Colvert 

Part of the Mental Health & Justice Wellcome Trust Strategic Award network 

Part of eLIXIR, Early Lifecourse data Cross-Linkage in Research partnership 

Expertise and Public Engagement:

Subject of The Life Scientific (01/09/2020), BBC Radio 4: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000m5lh

Television appearances including BBC QED, Open University, and Horizon. Radio interviews for, e.g. World Service, BBC, ABC. 

Subject of a Channel 4 documentary in the 4Learning ‘Living Science’ series and accompanying information for schools (http://www.acclaimscientists.org.uk/index.htm). 

Articles for The Daily Telegraph (science section), Observer, Independent, La Repubblica and New Scientist.  On-line opinion pieces in Guardian and LiveScience (http://www.livescience.com/50753-autism-truths-and-myths.html).   

Invited book reviews/opinion pieces for Science and Times Literary Supplement (e.g., https://science.sciencemag.org/content/349/6255/1455.summary,  https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/immutable-beauties-autistic-spectrum/ ). 

The Brain and the Mind film and debate (2013)  http://www.thebrainandthemind.co.uk/The_Films/Film4/ 

Delivered King’s Rosalind Franklin Lecture 2014 at Hay Literary Festival. 

Royal Society ‘Science Stories’ short film on Identity with Karl Friston for 350th anniversary of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society https://royalsociety.org/journals/publishing-activities/publishing350/science-stories/ 

Co-Founder (with Barry Carpenter CBE and Rona Tutt OBE) of the National Forum for neuroscience and Special Education, under the auspices f the national Association of Head Teachers (NAHT):  https://www.naht.org.uk/about-us/our-councils-committees-and-forums/national-forum-for-neuroscience-and-special-education/ 

Teaching:

I teach autism-related topics across a variety of courses including BSc Psychology, BSc Neuroscience, MSc Genes, Environment and Development in Psychology and Psychiatry (GED-PP), and MSc Developmental Psychology and Psychopathology (DEV-PP) 

    Research

    ReSpect Lab 780x440
    ReSpect Lab: Researching Autism across the Spectrum and Lifespan

    The ReSpect Lab, led by Professor Francesca Happé, comprises researchers and postgraduate students actively engaged in researching autism across the spectrum and lifespan.

    SRS logo
    The Social Relationships Study

    The Social Relationships Study (SRS) is a longitudinal study, which began in 2007. It is focussed on individual differences in social and communication skills.

    Project status: Ongoing

    News

    King's academics make the Best Female Scientists in the World 2023 Ranking

    Five scientists from King’s have been ranked as some of the top female scientists in the world for this year by Research.com.

    Professor Francesca Happe, Professor Janet Treasure, Professor Lucilla Poston, Professor Irene Higginson and Professor Cathryn Lewis

    Christine McGuinness: Unmasking My Autism – King's experts on BBC One

    Experts at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s feature throughout BBC One documentary ‘Christine McGuinness: Unmasking My...

    BBC Monitoring

    Testing Ground opens at Science Gallery London

    New exhibition changes the ways we think about our invisible connections – to the cosmos, to nanoparticles, and to each other.

    Particle Shrine - Web Size

    Taking a line for a walk – King's Artists project explores the connection between art and neuroscience

    How can drawing and neuroscience work together to inform research on neurodiversity and challenge perceptions of intelligence, ‘talents’ and ‘abilities’?

    Sketch of a room looked from above with window, tree, beds and other furniture

    MRC Doctoral Training Partnership in Biomedical Sciences awarded multi-million funding

    The funding will be used to train the next generation of academic, healthcare, and industrial biomedical PhD researchers.

    laboratory 780 440

    Eleven new King's Artists projects exploring the theme of 'Intelligence'

    The 2021 King’s Artists cohort will be exploring the theme of ‘Intelligence’ in eleven new collaborative R&D projects across four King’s College London...

    Grey logo sign resembling an eye over a blue map of the Strand

    Professor Francesca Happé awarded a CBE

    Congratulations to Professor Francesca Happé who has been recognised in the Queen’s New Year Honours 2021.

    Professor Francesca Happé

    King's Staff Recognised in New Year's Honours

    King's College London is delighted to announce that King’s staff members have been recognised in the 2021 New Year’s Honours list.

    Queens honours (Image credit Royal Communications)

    Events

    19MayMDPpetershenai2.780

    Taking a line for a walk: drawing workshop

    Leave thoughts of exams at the door, relax, play, and discover with King’s 2021 artist-in-residence Peter Shenai.

    Please note: this event has passed.

      Research

      ReSpect Lab 780x440
      ReSpect Lab: Researching Autism across the Spectrum and Lifespan

      The ReSpect Lab, led by Professor Francesca Happé, comprises researchers and postgraduate students actively engaged in researching autism across the spectrum and lifespan.

      SRS logo
      The Social Relationships Study

      The Social Relationships Study (SRS) is a longitudinal study, which began in 2007. It is focussed on individual differences in social and communication skills.

      Project status: Ongoing

      News

      King's academics make the Best Female Scientists in the World 2023 Ranking

      Five scientists from King’s have been ranked as some of the top female scientists in the world for this year by Research.com.

      Professor Francesca Happe, Professor Janet Treasure, Professor Lucilla Poston, Professor Irene Higginson and Professor Cathryn Lewis

      Christine McGuinness: Unmasking My Autism – King's experts on BBC One

      Experts at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s feature throughout BBC One documentary ‘Christine McGuinness: Unmasking My...

      BBC Monitoring

      Testing Ground opens at Science Gallery London

      New exhibition changes the ways we think about our invisible connections – to the cosmos, to nanoparticles, and to each other.

      Particle Shrine - Web Size

      Taking a line for a walk – King's Artists project explores the connection between art and neuroscience

      How can drawing and neuroscience work together to inform research on neurodiversity and challenge perceptions of intelligence, ‘talents’ and ‘abilities’?

      Sketch of a room looked from above with window, tree, beds and other furniture

      MRC Doctoral Training Partnership in Biomedical Sciences awarded multi-million funding

      The funding will be used to train the next generation of academic, healthcare, and industrial biomedical PhD researchers.

      laboratory 780 440

      Eleven new King's Artists projects exploring the theme of 'Intelligence'

      The 2021 King’s Artists cohort will be exploring the theme of ‘Intelligence’ in eleven new collaborative R&D projects across four King’s College London...

      Grey logo sign resembling an eye over a blue map of the Strand

      Professor Francesca Happé awarded a CBE

      Congratulations to Professor Francesca Happé who has been recognised in the Queen’s New Year Honours 2021.

      Professor Francesca Happé

      King's Staff Recognised in New Year's Honours

      King's College London is delighted to announce that King’s staff members have been recognised in the 2021 New Year’s Honours list.

      Queens honours (Image credit Royal Communications)

      Events

      19MayMDPpetershenai2.780

      Taking a line for a walk: drawing workshop

      Leave thoughts of exams at the door, relax, play, and discover with King’s 2021 artist-in-residence Peter Shenai.

      Please note: this event has passed.