51³Ô¹ÏÍø

Five Brain Sciences academic and teaching colleagues have been promoted this year in recognition of their contributions to neuroscience, neurology, psychoneuroendocrinology and education.

The promoted colleagues are: Professor , promoted to Clinical Professor in PsychoNeuroEndocrinology; Dr , promoted to Principal Lecturer; Dr , promoted to Associate Professor of Neurogenomics; Dr , promoted to Professor of Practice (Neurology); and Professor , promoted to Clinical Professor of Cerebrovascular Disease.

Their promotions form part of a wider round in which 51³Ô¹ÏÍø has announced 146 promotions across academic and teaching roles, recognising staff in the Business School and the Faculties of Engineering, Medicine and Natural Sciences.

Professor Peter Haynes, Provost and Deputy President, said: "From advances in monitoring the progression of neurodegenerative diseases and using AI for materials design, to developing research-informed education and collaborative learning opportunities, our colleagues are driving discovery and innovation across their fields. Their talent and dedication are what make 51³Ô¹ÏÍø a world-leading institution and a force for good in the world."

The full list of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø 2026 academic promotions can be found , and below is a short overview of each of the five Brain Sciences promotions.

Academic promotions 

Professor Tony Goldstone – Clinical Professor in PsychoNeuroEndocrinology

Tony Goldstone's research examines how hormones and the brain interact to shape eating and addictive behaviours. His work spans obesity following bariatric surgery, gut hormones as potential treatments for smoking and alcohol dependence, the genetic condition Prader-Willi syndrome, and hormonal disruption following traumatic brain injury. He is a Consultant Endocrinologist at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø College Healthcare NHS Trust, where he runs specialist clinics for adults with genetic obesity and post-injury endocrine dysfunction, and his work has featured widely in broadcast media, including the BBC and Channel 4.

"I am honoured to be recognised by 51³Ô¹ÏÍø for my contributions to research, the College community, training and supervising the next generation of students, and my commitment to advocating and improving the lives of my patients with genetic obesity and traumatic brain injury", said Professor Goldstone. "I look forward to continuing my research investigating the potential for gut hormone-based therapies such as those targeting GLP-1 and ghrelin systems, including the hormone LEAP2 to treat addiction as well as obesity, including Prader-Willi syndrome", he added. 

Dr Nathan Skene – Associate Professor of Neurogenomics

Nathan Skene is a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow and group leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø. He uses human genetics and single-cell genomics to identify which brain cell types drive specific diseases. His methods have linked Alzheimer's disease risk to microglia, schizophrenia to a specific subset of neurons, and Parkinson's disease to oligodendrocytes. He also leads work in single-cell epigenomics and machine learning, and champions reproducible research through open-source tools such as EWCE, MungeSumstats and scFlow .

“I’m delighted by the promotion and grateful to the team and collaborators who make our research possible. My ambition is to bring together human genetics, agentic AI and laboratory automation to change how we identify and test new drug targets,” said Dr Skene.

He added that he’s particularly excited about AI agents helping scientists plan experiments, analyse results and decide what to test next, with the aim of making discovery faster and more reproducible. “Ultimately, I want to help build a future in which every disease, rare or common, can be treated,” concluded Dr Skene.

Dr Yen Foung Tai – Professor of Practice (Neurology)

Yen Foung Tai is an academic neurologist specialising in movement disorders. His research background lies in functional imaging markers of disease progression, particularly in the context of neuroprotective and neurorestorative therapies for Parkinson's and Huntington's disease. More recently, his work has turned to technology and neuromodulation, including deep brain stimulation (DBS), and he currently leads a study assessing the effects of spinal cord stimulation on gait dysfunction in Parkinson's. He leads the tertiary DBS service and the Parkinson's Clinical Trials Unit at the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Academic Health Science Centre, sits on the Steering Committee of the Gait and Posture Study Group of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society, and is 51³Ô¹ÏÍø's Principal Investigator on the Michael J Fox Foundation-funded Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI). 

Reflecting on the promotion, Dr Tai said: "I joined 51³Ô¹ÏÍø when I started my PhD and have continued my association with the university throughout my clinical academic training and career... As my research is very patient-focused, the diverse patient population cohort at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø College Healthcare NHS Trust helps to shape many of my research questions." He added that he hopes to continue breaking down barriers between NHS and academic research, with the ambition of making a significant difference in the treatment of Parkinson's.

Professor Alastair Webb – Clinical Professor of Cerebrovascular Disease

Alastair Webb leads the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Small Vessel Disease Research Group, studying a condition that is common in older adults and implicated in roughly 30% of clot-related strokes, 80% of brain haemorrhages and 40% of dementia cases, yet still has no effective treatment. His research combines large-scale data analysis, MRI and clinical trials to understand its causes and develop new treatments, building on his 2024 OxHARP trial, which showed that sildenafil can improve cerebrovascular function in small vessel disease. He works clinically within the Acute Stroke service at Charing Cross Hospital.

Teaching promotion

Dr Stefano Sandrone – Principal Lecturer

Stefano Sandrone is an Italian neuroscientist and an international leader in neuroscience and medical education. He has won several major international awards, including the Science Educator Award from the Society for Neuroscience (2019), the A. B. Baker Teacher Recognition Award from the American Academy of Neurology (twice, 2020 and 2024), the Miriam Friedman Ben-David Award from AMEE (2024), and the Distinguished Neurology Teacher Award from the American Neurological Association (2024), becoming its youngest and first European winner. He was awarded the National Teaching Fellowship, the UK's most prestigious teaching excellence award, by Advance Higher Education (2025).

At 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, he is co-director of the MRes Experimental Neuroscience and MSc Translational Neuroscience programmes, as well as a Senior Tutor and Welfare Tutor with teaching and leadership responsibilities at Departmental, Faculty and College levels.

"I am honoured, grateful and enthusiastic! At 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, I have pioneered new teaching and learning approaches, including the curricular integration of active learning and the flipped classroom for both in-person and online learning, and the exploration of identity development and emotions across various career stages," said Dr Sandrone. 

"I am delighted to see that my teaching innovations and educational publications have had a remarkable global impact. I look forward to continuing to shape the future of neuroscience and neurology education, both locally and globally!" he added.