Lia joined the Wellcome Trust in 2014 to lead the innovative £6 million ‘Education and Neuroscience Initiative’ following a long-standing interest in this area.

After studying neuroscience at the University of Nottingham, Lia became a secondary school biology teacher and head of department for six years. During her time teaching she noticed that the lack of connection between the education community and the neuroscience/psychology research had left a gulf which was being filled by ‘brain-based’ teaching practices which were often unsubstantiated. This led her to complete an M.Ed at the University of Cambridge looking at how neuroscience could be used to develop the understanding of learning to improve practice.

The ‘Education and Neuroscience Initiative’ a collaborative scheme with the Education Endowment Foundation, aims to both build the evidence by funding research, but also to help support teachers with the research already available.