We are pleased to announce that our new Centre Director for the UK DRI at Imperial is Prof William Wisden, an expert in the study of how brain cells communicate and generate sleep and wakefulness.
The UK DRI at Imperial aims to understand the impact of environment and lifestyle on the risk of developing dementia. The team take a holistic approach to understanding neurodegenerative conditions, viewing the ageing brain in the context of the ageing body. The researchers are studying individual cells through to whole systems, to unveil new understanding of what can go wrong in the brain and lead to dementia.
Prof William (Bill) Wisden has over 30 years of experience in research, having established his first research group at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in 1993. He has contributed to core knowledge of how neurons communicate, and was at the centre of studies characterising gene families for GABA and glutamate receptors.
I am delighted and honoured to take over the reins of the UK DRI at Imperial. I would also like to say a big thank you to Prof Paul Matthews who founded the Centre, for his dedication in bringing it to its current position.
Prof William Wisden
Prof Wisden speaking at the UK DRI's conference, Connectome in 2023. Credit: UK DRI Ltd.
Prof Wisden’s current research focuses on determining the impact of sleep on dementia, and whether good sleep is protective against developing dementia. There is mounting evidence that repeated sleep disturbances in healthy people could trigger or accelerate the onset of dementia. Together with Prof Nick Franks (Imperial), Prof Wisden and team (Franks-Wisden Lab) are investigating how this occurs, and the effects of different types of sleep on enhancing cognition and clearance of toxic proteins.
Of the announcement, Prof Wisden said:
"I am delighted and honoured to take over the reins of the UK DRI at Imperial. I would also like to say a big thank you to Prof Paul Matthews who founded the Centre, for his dedication in bringing it to its current position. Our centre is focused on how the environment influences the risk of dementia onset, and our researchers are working both in the community and in basic research to understand these risk factors. I look forward to working with colleagues in the Imperial Centre, and with the many other colleagues across the Institute, to help the Institute fulfil its mission."
Having been Interim Director for the centre since Prof Paul Matthews moved on to a new role at the Rosalind Franklin Institute in April 2024, Prof Wisden will take up the permanent Centre Director position from January 2025. His responsibilities include providing scientific leadership within the UK DRI community, developing collaborative opportunities at Imperial as well as across the wider neurodegeneration community and industry, and contributing to the growth and success of the Institute.
Prof Siddharthan Chandran, UK DRI Director, said:
“We are thrilled to welcome Professor Wisden as the new Centre Director for the UK DRI at Imperial. His remarkable contributions to neuroscience, and innovative research on the links between sleep and dementia align closely with the focus of the centre. I look forward to working with Bill to ensure the centre continues to play a vital role in the UK DRI through pioneering discoveries that bring hope to those affected by neurodegenerative conditions.”
Prof Deborah Ashby, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London, said:
“It is fantastic to see Bill, who is based across Imperial’s Faculties of Natural Sciences and Medicine, appointed to this position. His collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to science will continue to be huge asset to the UK DRI Centre at Imperial at it strives to address one of humanity’s greatest health challenges.”
