The Education Policy Institute is delighted to announce that our 2020 Annual Lecture will be delivered by Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge and Group Leader of the Blakemore Lab.
The welfare of children and young people following the Covid pandemic is a major concern. The number of children considered vulnerable is likely to have increased significantly, while the closure of education settings and social distancing is likely to cause learning losses and impact socio-emotional development.
To make informed targeted interventions following the impact of Covid, policymakers should also consider evidence on children and young people’s neurological development.
We are delighted to be welcoming Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore (Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Cambridge) to deliver EPI’s 2020 Annual Lecture, supported by The British Academy, to provide evidence and analysis on the development of the teenage brain to shed light on what additional support this age group needs.
Professor Blakemore’s lecture ‘Social risk taking in adolescence’ will explore the influence of peers on teenage behaviour and how this influence can be used in a positive way – contrary to the widely held views about the teenage years.
The lecture will be opened by Dr Molly Morgan Jones, Director of Policy and Engagement at The British Academy. Following the lecture there will be an opportunity for the audience to put their questions on psychology, wellbeing and child and adolescent brain development to Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore in a Q&A session chaired by Natalie Perera (Executive Director, Education Policy Institute).
Please RSVP for this online lecture by registering your details on EPI’s sign-up page.
We are grateful to The British Academy for their support of this event.
About Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore
Professor Blakemore also formerly led the Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Group at University College London (UCL), which researches the development of social cognition and decision making in adolescence, and adolescent mental health.
She is the author of multiple publications examining the adolescent brain, and is actively involved in public engagement with science activities, particularly in relation to neuroscience and education.
You can find out more about Professor Blakemore’s work below:
- BBC The Life Scientific interview
- TED talk
- Member of Reachwell
- Book: Inventing Ourselves: the secret life of the teenage brain
- Professor Blakemore’s full biography can be found here
- Follow Professor Blakemore on twitter
You can watch last year’s Annual Lecture delivered by Professor Kirabo Jackson here.
