John Duncan (neuroscientist) facts for kids
John Duncan is a famous British scientist who studies the brain. He was born on May 16, 1953. He is known for his important work in understanding how our brains pay attention and control our thoughts.
Early Life and Education
John Duncan studied at the University of Oxford, a very old and respected university in England. He finished his studies there in 1976. After that, he moved to the United States for two years. He worked with another well-known psychologist, Michael Posner, at the University of Oregon.
Career and Research
After his time in the US, John Duncan returned to the United Kingdom. He started working at the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is a big organization that supports medical research.
For many years, he was a Programme Leader at the MRC's Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge. This unit is a special place where scientists study how our brains think, learn, and remember things. He also held a special research position at the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford. He was also a Fellow at St John's College, Oxford, which is one of the colleges that make up Oxford University.
His research helps us understand how our brains focus on important things and ignore distractions. This is called "attention control." His work has been very important for understanding how the brain works in everyday life.
Awards and Recognition
John Duncan has received many important awards for his scientific work. These awards show that his research is highly valued by other scientists around the world.
- In 2008, he was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists in the United Kingdom. It means he is recognized as one of the best scientists in the country.
- In 2009, he also became a Fellow of the British Academy. This award recognizes his excellent work in the human sciences, like psychology.
- In 2012, he received the Heineken Prize for Cognitive Science. This is a major international award given by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Cognitive science is the study of how the mind works, including thinking, memory, and problem-solving.
