The University of Edinburgh are delighted to announce the appointment of the new Director of the Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre We are delighted to share that Dr Katie Cebula, from the Moray House School of Education and Sport at the University of Edinburgh, will be the new Director of the Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre (SMRC). Katie is a Senior Lecturer in Developmental Psychology. She has a long track record of research to improve support for neurodivergent children and young people, with a particular focus on supporting relationships within families and at school. Katie takes over from Prof Sue Fletcher-Watson who recently stepped down after an impactful six-year tenure.The SMRC works to address the inequalities that neurodivergent people face in school, healthcare, social care, at work, and in society in general. It was created in 2015, thanks to the generous philanthropy of the late Alastair Salvesen, CBE. Alastair was a constant champion for the SMRC's work, and his kindness, vision, and support enabled the Centre to grow and flourish.Katie relishes this opportunity to lead the SMRC over the coming years, continuing to work in close partnership with Edinburgh-based charity, the Salvesen Mindroom Centre (known as Mindroom), to ensure that the Centre’s research makes a meaningful difference to people’s lives. A key focus will be on continuing to build the SMRC’s reputation for high-quality co-produced research addressing the SMRC and Mindroom’s shared research priorities: digital transformation to support neurodivergent individuals and families; intersections of neurodivergence and child poverty; neurodiversity, mental health and identity; and neurodiversity at work. During this first year, the SMRC will move to the Moray House School of Education and Sport. This will enable the Centre to capitalise on the wealth of Education research, teaching and policy expertise within the School, whilst retaining the valued involvement of psychology, informatics, medicine and allied disciplines from across the University of Edinburgh and beyond. Find out more about the work of the SMRC: https://salvesen-research.ed.ac.uk/ This article was published on 2025-07-23
