Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences (CDBS) is located at Central Campus (Hugh Robson Building and 1 George Square) and BioQuarter Campus (Chancellor's Building) and its research consists of a broad variety of disciplines and cutting edge techniques.
Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences (CDBS) is an interdisciplinary research centre within the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine’s Deanery of Biomedical Sciences. CDBS, along with other university-wide, often philanthropically funded, themed research centres, make up Edinburgh Neuroscience: the vibrant interdisciplinary research structure that facilitates interaction and collaboration between researchers across groups, centres, schools and colleges.
Members of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences carry out research at molecular, cellular, systems and behavioural levels to understand fundamental mechanisms and pathways relevant to brain and body function in health and disease.
CDBS investigators exploit rapid advances in the enabling technologies available from genomics, proteomics, imaging, informatics, and in-vivo analysis to understand the function of gene products at the cell, organ and whole-animal level.
They also exploit the most appropriate model organisms/systems to investigate the delicate balance between high biomedical relevance (for example human, mouse, rat) and high genetic power (such as C. elegans, drosophila and zebrafish).
CDBS Executive Comittee:
Remit
The Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences Executive Committee (EC) will discuss Centre research strategy, career development, best practice in research across the centre, and needed improvements. The EC will meet (approximately) every three months, alternating between Central and BioQuarter campuses. Meeting dates will be announced in advance to allow Agenda items to be submitted for discussion. Please find all EC minutes in the Information for Staff pages of the CDBS website.
CDBS Executive Committee | Name: | Position: |
---|---|---|
Director | Prof David Wyllie | Professor of Ion Channel Physiology and Pharmacology |
Deputy Director - Lead for Research Opportunities | Prof David Lyons | Personal Chair of Neurobiology |
Deputy Director - Lead for Career Development | Prof Tara Spires-Jones | Personal Chair of Neurodegeneration |
Finance Lead | Dr Sutherland Maciver | Reader in Biomedical Sciences |
Equality and Diversity Lead | Prof Norah Spears | Professor of Reproductive Physiology |
Post-graduate Lead | Dr Paula Brunton | Senior Lecturer (Edinburgh | Zhejiang) |
Post-graduate Lead | Mr Constantinos Eleftheriou | PhD Student |
Post-doctoral Lead | Dr Emily Osterweil | Chancellor's Fellow |
Post-doctoral Lead | Dr Brianna Vandrey | Postdoctoral Fellow & Lab Manager |
Professional Support Services Lead (technical) | Mr James Griffiths | Centre Building Manager |
Professional Support Services Lead (administration) | Ms Beverly Roberts | Scientific Adminstrator Simons Initiative |
Seminar Lead (Central) | Dr Nicola Romano |
Tenure Track Lecturer (Edinburgh-Zhejiang) |
Seminar Lead (BioQuarter) | Dr Jian Gan | Chancellors Fellow |

The IMPACT facility provides both high quality imaging equipment and expertise for biomedical and life sciences.

Functional imaging and automated chemical and genetic in vivo screening of zebrafish