Ian Deary
Course: HNC Medical Laboratory Sciences '76
Current Position: Professor of Differential Psychology at the University of Edinburgh
Ian is a Professor of Differential Psychology at the University of Edinburgh and is internationally renowned for his work on human cognitive ageing and cognitive abilities, and has been invited as a key note speaker in many countries.
He graduated with an HNC in Medical Laboratory Sciences (Haematology and Blood Transfusion) from Glasgow College of Technology in 1976. His HNC was awarded with Distinction and a Special Mention in all subjects.
He graduated in Psychology and Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, and studied there for his PhD. His principal research interest is human mental abilities, especially the origins of cognitive differences, the effects of ageing and medical conditions on mental skills, and the impact of cognitive differences on people's lives.
Recently he lead a large research team studying cognitive ageing by following up on the people who took part in the Scottish Mental Surveys of 1932 and 1947. This research is very important as it could find better ways of understanding normal cognitive ageing and possibly preserve mental abilities for longer.
- In 1996 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
- During 1999-2001 he was the elected President of the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences.
- In 2003 he received the first of the annual Chancellor's Awards of the University of Edinburgh which "recognise excellence in vital academic areas such as teaching and research and were awarded on the basis of innovation, relevance, creativity and personal dedication".
- From Jan 2003 to Dec 2007 he held a Royal Society-Wolfson Research Merit Award for his work on human cognitive ageing.
Ian Deary is nominated as an internationally acclaimed researcher in cognitive human ageing.