University of Cambridge - Trinity College

Unseen Peter Shaffer play revealed at Trinity

ta385 — Fri, 01 May 2026 12:41:14 +0000

Trinity College is celebrating the centenary of the birth of twin brothers Peter Shaffer (1926-2016) and Anthony Shaffer (1926-2001) who both studied at Trinity and went on to become award-winning playwrights. Peter bequeathed his substantial archive of playscripts, correspondence and photographs to Trinity College.

PhD student James Critchley came across the unstaged play Our Lady of the Volcano in the archive, while studying Shaffer’s first play, Five Finger Exercise. The play had been catalogued by archivists, but has remained completely unknown. Our Lady of the Volcano reflects the importance of Italy in Shaffer’s creative life. Set on the sultry Amalfi Coast, the plot swirls around two British travellers staying in a villa and their interactions – for better or worse – with other residents.

James Critchley says: "It's about competing kinds of romance narratives, primarily relating to the Brando-esque Jim Suckling, and his various encounters in relation to a religious festival near Sorrento. And in this kind of steamy, tempestuous sensuality, you can see the growing influence of writers such as Tennessee Williams, who Shaffer admired."

For Critchley, the play is intriguing for its cinematic influences, at a time when Hollywood films set in Italy – among them Roman Holiday, Three Coins in the Fountain, Boy on a Dolphin – proved highly popular.

"It emerges from a real immersion in the cinematic world of the early 1960s - these films made in Italian studios fed into Shaffer’s thinking. It was quite unusual at the time to see a play set outdoors, in an Italian villa, so the play is an example of him thinking across different media."

Our Lady of the Volcano marks a transition in the playwright’s early work, Critchley argues.

"Shaffer longed to leave behind the world of slammed doors and actual breakfasts being consumed in an atmosphere of domestic tension. He wanted to reinvent theatre. Of course, in later plays like Royal Hunt or Amadeus, he can be seen confidently working towards what he called ‘Total Theatre’: a mode of performance in which music, mime, movement might all play a role as important as scripted text.

"Even though the play never made it to stage, it is fascinating to see a writer developing his craft: to peek, as it were, behind the curtain. We can see in Our Lady ideas and scenarios that he would go on to flesh out more fully in the mature works of his later career."

James, who began exploring the Shaffer Archive as an undergraduate, said his PhD offered an amazing opportunity to understand Shaffer’s evolution, as well as the ups and downs charted in his correspondence.

"It's really exciting to be up close and personal so to speak with the projects that didn't necessarily make it to publication, but which still have all of the kind of thrilling imprints of a writer whose legacy continues to flourish today."

Shaffer at Cambridge

Peter and Anthony Shaffer were conscripted to the coal mines in Kent as ‘Bevin Boys’ during the Second World War. After that, in 1947, aged 21, they arrived at Trinity, Anthony to study Law and Peter, history.

Peter Shaffer described student life as ‘heaven’ and Cambridge ‘an astonishing place for many reasons.’ He attended lectures of all kinds, including by the philosopher Bertrand Russell, and he met EM Forster at King’s College, where the novelist was an Honorary Fellow.

Peter entered a short story competition set by Forster and although he did not win, he did receive an invitation to tea. He recalled: "I said I would love to have tea with him and I went round in some awe of the great man. And he served me tea and he was very shy. … it was tremendously encouraging … the fact that he liked the story and it had merits and he had a way of conveying its demerits … that was very, very graceful."

Enduring legacy

Peter Shaffer’s breakthrough came in 1958 with Five Finger Exercise. He would go on write acclaimed plays that continue to be staged today: a production of Equus opens in London this month and a major new production of Amadeus has been announced for 2027 in UK. Only last December Trinity alumnus Will Sharpe directed Amadeus for television, playing the title role himself.

Anthony Shaffer trained as a barrister but devoted his life to stage and film following the success of Sleuth in 1970. His film credits include Hitchcock’s Frenzy and the cult classic The Wicker Man.

In the centenary year, Trinity will announce the fifth Shaffer Playwright-in-Residence, a studentship established with funding from the Sir Peter Shaffer Charitable Foundation for early-career playwrights.

More information

A catalogue of the Sir Peter Shaffer Archive at Trinity College is available online. Researchers are welcome to consult items in the archive by appointment with the Wren Library.

James Critchley has written an essay, 'An unpublished play by Peter Shaffer', for The Times Literary Supplement.

His research is funded by the Alice and James Penney Studentship in English Literature.

This story was originally published by Trinity College.

A PhD student at Trinity College has unearthed a complete, unpublished play 65 years after Peter Shaffer wrote it - and before he reignited the world of theatre with the acclaimed plays The Royal Hunt of the Sun, Equus, and Amadeus.

He wanted to reinvent theatre

James Critchley

Trinity College Cambridge

Title page of Peter Shaffer's Our Lady.

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Scientists confirm precursor to commonest form of oesophageal cancer – offering opportunities to catch the disease early

cjb250 — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:00:43 +0000

The findings, published today in Nature Medicine, could help improve screening for and early detection of oesophageal cancer, the sixth most deadly cancer, helping improve outcomes for the disease.

Cancer of the oesophagus, including its most common form oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC), is on the rise in western countries. It is difficult to treat because it is often caught at an advanced stage, when treatment options are limited.

Scientists and doctors have known for some time that the development of oesophageal cancer is linked with Barrett’s oesophagus, which shows up in endoscopy as a pink patch in the surface of the oesophagus. Barrett’s oesophagus affects around one out of every 100 to 200 people in the United Kingdom.

Between three and 13 people out of 100 with Barrett’s oesophagus will go on to develop oesophageal adenocarcinoma in their lifetime. However, around half of OAC patients have no detectable Barrett’s oesophagus when their cancer is found, raising doubts about whether it is always the precursor.

Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald from the Li Ka Shing Early Cancer Institute at the University of Cambridge said: “Cancer generally takes many years to evolve, giving us a window of opportunity to catch it before if develops into a life-threatening condition. Screening and preventative strategies can have a massive impact on the number of people who die from cancer, but if the link between precancers and cancer is unproven or unclear, screening programmes risk doing more harm than good.”

To answer the question of whether Barrett’s oesophagus is a pre-requisite for OAC, researchers from Professor Fitzgerald and colleagues analysed epidemiological and clinical data from 3,100 OAC patients undergoing surgery to remove their tumour or diseased tissue. Patients were recruited from 25 centres across the UK.

The team also analysed whole genome sequencing data from 710 patients, which allows them to look at all of an individual’s DNA, and whole exome sequencing from multiple samples taken from 87 patients, allowing them to understand how their tumours evolved and how different parts of the same cancer may differ genetically.

The researchers hypothesised that if OAC can arise through different routes – not always involving Barrett’s oesophagus – then genomic data and associated risk factors would differ between these two groups. Conversely, extensive overlap would strongly suggest that Barrett’s oesophagus plays a central role in OAC progression.

Just over a third of participants (35%) had a diagnosis of Barrett’s oesophagus. However, the DNA, mutations, genomic patterns, and cellular ‘identity’ inside the cancers were essentially indistinguishable, regardless of whether doctors could identify Barrett’s oesophagus during endoscopy or in pathology samples.

The only major difference between cancers with or without visible Barrett’s oesophagus was the tumour stage – those patients without signs of Barrett’s oesophagus tended to have more advanced cancers. However, the team found biomarkers for Barrett’s oesophagus, such as the proteins TFF3 and REG4 present in the oesophagus cells at all disease stages including before the cancer has developed. This suggests that the growing tumour can destroy the original Barrett’s tissue, but importantly that proteins such as TFF3 and REG4 could be used to find individuals at future risk of oesophageal cancer.

Dr Shahriar Zamani, joint first author from the Li Ka Shing Early Cancer Institute at Cambridge and now based at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, US, said: “We found no evidence for an alternative pathway to oesophageal adenocarcinoma other than Barrett’s oesophagus. Because it seems to be the universal precursor, detecting Barrett’s oesophagus earlier could offer a clearer route to preventing oesophageal cancer.”

Dr Lianlian Wu, joint first author, also from the Li Ka Shing Early Cancer Institute, said: “What we need now are more sensitive, minimally invasive tests that identify people at risk based on molecular markers rather than relying solely on visible changes found during endoscopy.”

The research was supported by Cancer Research UK and the Medical Research Council, with additional support by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre.

Dr Dani Skirrow, Research Information Manager at Cancer Research UK, said: "Detecting the earliest signs that cancer might develop gives us the opportunity to intervene and potentially prevent the disease.

“This research helps to clarify how the most common type of oesophageal cancer begins and, crucially, shows that the earliest signs are detectable even when doctors can’t see them.

“This opens the door to future tests that look for molecular clues of hidden pre-cancerous changes, helping people understand their risk of oesophageal cancer and get the necessary support to help keep the disease at bay."

Professor Fitzgerald is the Research Lead for Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital, a new hospital that will transform how we diagnose and treat cancer. She has led the development of a capsule sponge test to diagnose Barrett’s oesophagus, which can be easily administered at a GP surgery, speeding up diagnosis.

The University of Cambridge and Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust (ACT) are fundraising for Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital, where detecting cancer at its earliest stages will be a key goal. Set to be built on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, the hospital will bring together clinical excellence from Addenbrooke’s Hospital and world-leading researchers at the University of Cambridge. The research that takes place there promises to change the lives of cancer patients across the UK and beyond. Find out more here.

Reference

Zamani, SA et al. Integrated epidemiological and molecular data yields insights into the relationship between precancer and cancer states of oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Nat Med; 16 Apr 2026; DOI: 10.1038/s41591-026-04331-8

Scientists have found the strongest evidence to date that a condition known as Barrett’s oesophagus is the starting point for all cases of oesophageal adenocarcinoma – the most common type of oesophageal cancer in the developed world – even when telltale signs of this pre-cancerous stage are no longer visible.

If the link between precancers and cancer is unproven or unclear, screening programmes risk doing more harm than good

Rebecca Fitzgerald

Stillvision

Rebecca Fitzgerald demonstrates the capsule sponge

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Hungarian election 2026: Cambridge researchers give their reactions

ta385 — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:20:00 +0000

Viktor Orbán has been swept from power after 16 years as Hungarian Prime Minister in a landslide victory for Péter Magyar's Tisza party. Four Cambridge researchers specialising in Hungarian history and politics give their reaction.

Patients regain weight rapidly after stopping weight loss drugs – but still keep off a quarter of weight lost

cjb250 — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 23:30:25 +0000

It isn’t clear, however, whether the weight regain constitutes both fat and muscle, or mainly fat. Previous studies have suggested that lean body mass – including muscle – can constitute up to 40% of total weight lost during treatment.

More than a billion people worldwide are living with obesity, which increases the risk of diseases such as 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Weight loss can help mitigate these complications, but losing weight through diet and exercise alone can prove challenging.

In the past few years, a new generation of weight loss drugs has emerged that target a protein known as the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP-1R). These drugs help control blood sugar and reduce appetite, and clinical trials have shown they can lead to weight losses of 15 to 20%.

Approximately half of all patients who begin taking these drugs discontinue their use within the first year, however, and three-quarters have stopped after two years. This is likely to be due to their potential side effects and to limited access under insurance coverage policies and national prescribing guidelines.

A team of students at Trinity College, University of Cambridge, has investigated the impact of stopping the medication, modelling the trajectory of weight regain over 12 months and beyond. Their findings are published today in eClinicalMedicine.

The team first carried out a systematic review of existing scientific and medical literature, identifying and summarising all the relevant evidence. They followed this with a meta‑analysis, which pools the results of multiple studies to estimate an overall effect. This approach allowed them to draw more robust conclusions from studies which, on their own, may provide insufficient evidence and sometimes disagree with each other.

In total, the team examined 48 relevant studies, comprising 36 randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and 12 non-randomised studies.

As most of these studies only followed patients for a few weeks after stopping the drugs, the team selected the six RCTs (comprising more than 3,200 individuals in total) that followed patients for up to 52 weeks after discontinuation of the weight loss drugs. They used these to model the trajectory of weight regain, including to extrapolate beyond 52 weeks.

The model estimated that when individuals stopped taking the medication, they underwent rapid initial weight regain, which slowed progressively. By 52 weeks, individuals had regained 60% of their original weight loss.

At 60 weeks, weight regain begins to plateau and is projected to taper off at 75% of the original weight loss. This means that 25% of the initial weight loss may be sustained in the long term. For an individual who had lost a fifth of their weight while on the drugs, this would correspond to a sustained weight reduction of around 5%.

Weight regain trajectories appeared broadly similar for the different types of weight loss drugs targeting GLP-1R.

Brajan Budini, a medical student at the School of Clinical Medicine and Trinity College, University of Cambridge, said: “Drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy act like brakes on our appetite, making us feel full sooner, which means we eat less and therefore lose weight. When people stop taking them, they are essentially taking their foot off the brake, and this can lead to rapid weight regain.”

The researchers say there are several reasons why people may not return to their original weight even a year after stopping the medications. One reason is that by reducing appetite, these drugs may help individuals develop healthier eating habits, such as reduced portion sizes or more nutritionally-balanced meals, and these habits may persist even after treatment is discontinued. The drugs may also affect the body long-term, altering hormone levels and ‘resetting’ the brain’s appetite control mechanisms.

Steven Luo, also a medical student at the School of Clinical Medicine and Trinity College, said: “When stopping weight loss drugs, doctors and patients should be aware of the potential for weight regain and consider ways to mitigate this risk.

“It’s important that people are given advice on improving their diet and exercise, rather than relying solely on the drugs, as this may help them maintain good habits when they stop taking them.”

There are significant concerns about the long-term consequences of GLP-1R drugs on body composition, with studies indicating that 40 to 60% of the weight lost during treatment is muscle. It was not clear whether individuals regain both fat and muscle.

Budini added: “Our projections show that even though people regain most of the weight they have lost, they still maintain some of the weight loss, but what we currently don’t know is if the same proportion of lean mass is recovered. If the regained weight is disproportionately fat, individuals may ultimately be worse off than before in their fat-to-lean mass ratio, which may have adverse consequences for their health.”

The researchers say there are several limitations to their study. Most importantly, the trial data used to fit their model only extended to 52 weeks after cessation. They also restricted their analysis to studies reporting at least 3kg on-treatment average weight loss.

Reference

Budini, B & Luo, S et al. Trajectory of weight regain after cessation of GLP-1 receptor agonists: a systematic review and nonlinear meta-regression. eClinicalMedicine; 4 Mar 2026; DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2026.103796

A year after stopping taking weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy, people regain on average 60% of their lost weight – but beyond this, their weight regain plateaus, with individuals managing to keep off 25% of the weight lost to treatment, say researchers at the University of Cambridge.

Drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy act like brakes on our appetite. When people stop taking them, they are essentially taking their foot off the brake

Brajan Budini

Iuliia Burmistrova

Subcutaneous injection of Semaglutide

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Improve education and transitional support for autistic people to prevent death by suicide, say experts

cjb250 — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:01:45 +0000

The researchers call for a radical change in the way society understands suicide and mental illness in autistic people, who are three to five times more likely to die by suicide.

The study, published today in eClinicalMedicine, involved over 2,500 autistic people and allies/ supporters of autistic people. It is part of the biggest ever survey on suicide among autistic adults.

Historically, suicide has been attributed to mental illness, and mental illness has often been seen as an inevitable consequence of and an inherent part of autism. This narrative locates ‘sickness’ in the individual, addressed by clinical interventions that support individuals at crisis point rather than looking at and addressing the underlying societal contributions.

In contrast, participants in this study were clear that the “seeds of all autistic suicide deaths” are set in childhood, by missed diagnosis and educational systems that fail to support special educational needs (SEN) pupils. Participants in the study highlighted school years as the source of many later problems.

Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, principal investigator and Director of the Autism Research Centre, said: “Participants in our study highlighted the dire straits faced by many autistic people and their families in the UK. Misunderstood and unsupported by staff, bullied by pupils, autistic people explained that school experiences sow the seeds for their later suicidal thoughts. The parents of autistic children described being threatened by the legal consequences of absenteeism when their children were unable to cope in mainstream schools.”

These findings are startling given forthcoming SEND reforms, which are likely to result in EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plans) being scrapped for many autistic, ADHD and SEND pupils. There are fears that this will strip legal protections from many vulnerable children and parents, and place unrealistic expectations on under-resourced schools and under-trained teachers to support students in mainstream settings.

While many participants focused on their school years as the source of their suicidal thoughts, others pointed out how “absolutely useless and without hope” autistic people feel on leaving the education system. They report insufficient transitional support into adulthood, lack of support in the community, inadequate welfare systems and employment support, and inaccessible and damaging healthcare systems.

The seeds of suicide thrive in a culture where autistic people feel unwelcome and unwanted, they said.

Autistic people have the lowest employment rates of any disabled group, with only 30% of autistic people in employment currently. Improving employment rates among autistic people is another priority, given the role participants said that employment difficulties and related poverty played in their suicidal thoughts.

Beyond education and employment, autistic people in the new study were clear: halting progression towards suicide deaths requires committed long-term vision from the government. Chief among this is a commitment to a properly resourced and co-produced Autism Strategy, as called for in the recent Autism Act Review.

Dr Rachel Moseley, lead author of the new study and principal academic at Bournemouth University, said: “Our suicidal autistic participants expressed desperation waiting for health and social care that never arrives. But they didn’t reach that point of desperation overnight. Rather, they got there through a lifetime of inequalities in a society that fails to protect and support autistic people. There will never be enough crisis support to save every suicidal autistic person if we don’t disrupt the suicidal trajectory.”

Co-author Dr Carrie Allison, Deputy Director of the Autism Research Centre, said: “If we consider suicide in autistic people as a societal issue rather than an individual one, then we can do something about it. Autistic deaths by suicide are needless and preventable. We urge the government to partner with autistic people and their allies to develop to a cross-sector strategy to support autistic people throughout their lives.”

The study was initiated by charity Autism Action, whose number one priority is reducing suicide in autistic people, and led by the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge, with a project team including academics from Bournemouth University, Newcastle University, University of Nottingham, and SOAS University of London.

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. Alternatively, you can contact PAPYRUS (Prevention of Young Suicide) HOPELINE247 on 0800 068 4141 or by texting 88247.

Reference

Moseley, RL et al. "The best way we can stop suicides is by making lives worth living": a mixed-methods survey in the UK of perspectives on suicide prevention from the autism community. eClinMed; 3 Mar 2026; DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2026.103793

Suicide in autistic people originates in the inequalities they face across their lives, starting in childhood, and spanning education to employment, and health and social care, a new study by a team at Cambridge and Bournemouth Universities has found.

Jakob Owens (Unsplash)

Man in black jacket sitting on bed

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Prime Minister of Ireland in Cambridge to announce first Childers Professor of Irish History

acrm1 — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 16:45:23 +0000

The Taoiseach announced that Professor Alvin Jackson would be the first person to hold the new post. The news was shared during a special event at Trinity College’s Wren Library, with many guests present.

The new Professorship was created thanks to a major gift of £3.6 million made by the Irish Government on the basis of establishing the Childers Professorship. It is named after Robert Erskine Childers and his son, Erskine Hamilton Childers. Both attended Trinity College, Cambridge, and played important roles in modern Irish history.

The Taoiseach’s visit showed Ireland’s strong commitment to supporting Irish history at Cambridge and building closer academic ties between Ireland and the UK. Speaking about this new academic post, the Taoiseach said: “I am delighted to be in Cambridge today to mark the establishment of the Childers Chair of Irish History in Trinity College. This is a time when we need to protect and strengthen bonds between our countries. It is a time when we need to assert the importance of diverse, rigorous and independent historical scholarship. It is a time when we should do more to honour figures who can challenge us to see the richness and complexity of our past.

"This Professorship is a small but important demonstration of the commitment of the Irish government to addressing these challenges. It will deepen and enrich scholarship and build a greater understanding of the complex and interlinked political, economic and social histories of Ireland and Britain, and how these histories entwined to shape our two countries and the evolving relationship between us."

Professor Prentice said: “We are delighted to welcome the Taoiseach to Cambridge. This visit provides an opportunity to demonstrate our strong commitment to academic collaboration between the United Kingdom and Ireland. We are proud to highlight the University’s extensive work on Irish history, which has long attracted distinguished scholars. We are equally delighted to welcome Professor Alvin Jackson as the inaugural Childers Professor of Irish History.”

Professor Alvin Jackson joins Cambridge from Edinburgh University, where he has served as the Richard Lodge Professor of History since 2005. He is a Fellow of the British Academy, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, an Honorary Member of the Royal Irish Academy and a Member of the Academia Europaea. He is internationally recognised for his scholarship on modern Irish history.

Professor Jackson said: “Cambridge has had a long tradition of researching and teaching Irish history, and of addressing the complexities of the British-Irish relationship. I'm honoured both by the opportunity to contribute to this tradition – and by the invitation to join the current, distinguished community of historians at Cambridge. The generosity of the Irish government in funding the Childers professorship guarantees that Irish history will be lastingly rooted in the University and indeed more widely; and it's a huge privilege to be inaugurating the work of the new chair.”

Professor Lucy Delap, Chair of the Faculty of History, and Professor in Modern British and Gender History at the University of Cambridge, welcomed Professor Jackson to the Faculty. Professor Delap said: “This significant gift to the History Faculty will place Irish history at the forefront of our work. The Childers Professor will offer historical perspectives on pressing issues today in British/Irish relations and Ireland’s wider global relationships. It’s an honour, and testament to the importance of this post, that the Taoiseach is here in person to celebrate the establishment of the Professorship.”

Professor Jackson is expected to begin in the post in October 2026.

View the Taoiseach's announcement of the first Childers Professor of Irish History in full.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Deborah Prentice, welcomed the Taoiseach (Prime Minister), Micheál Martin, to Cambridge to celebrate the appointment of the University’s first Childers Professor of Irish History.

This is a time when we need to protect and strengthen bonds between our countries. It is a time when we need to assert the importance of diverse, rigorous and independent historical scholarship. It is a time when we should do more to honour figures who can challenge us to see the richness and complexity of our past.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin

University of Cambridge

Taoiseach Micheál Martin, with Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice, and Professor Alvin Jackson

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Sex differences in brain growth emerge in the womb, study finds

cjb250 — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 08:57:16 +0000

There has long been debate over exactly how early in human brain development sex differences first emerge, and what causes them. Previous research has typically studied prenatal or postnatal brain development alone but not both together. That means that until now it has not been possible to study brain growth across the prenatal to postnatal transition.

Researchers at the Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge, analysed data that mapped how the human brain develops continuously across the prenatal to postnatal transition. This enabled them to develop a more accurate model of early human brain development and to pinpoint exactly when sex differences in brain growth first emerge.

The study used one of the largest perinatal brain imaging datasets ever assembled, collected by the Developing Human Connectome Project. The dataset consisted of nearly 800 prenatal and postnatal brain scans from mid-pregnancy to one month post-birth.

Yumnah Khan, a PhD student in the Autism Research Centre, who led the study, said: “The human brain undergoes its most rapid and complex development before and shortly after birth. But until now, very little was known about exactly how the brain grows during this formative period of life, and how males and females might differ in this process. Our study has documented the presence of prenatal sex differences in the growth of the human brain.”

In research published in the journal Scientific Reports, the team identified that, on average, males showed greater increases in brain volumes with age, across the whole brain, compared to females.

Dr Alex Tsompanidis, a Senior Research Associate at the Autism Research Centre, and a member of the research team, said: “This study addresses the age-old question of whether nature plays a role in shaping sex differences in the brain. The findings suggest that prenatal biology sets the stage for such sex differences, even if postnatal experience influences these further.

“The next step is to test if the observed sex differences in human brain growth are driven by prenatal sex steroid hormones, such as testosterone and estrogen. Male fetuses are exposed to much higher levels of these hormones which we know play a role in shaping sex differences in the brain and behaviour in other animals. We need to test if the same is true in humans.”

The research also provided several other important insights into how the brain grows during early development. For example, different brain regions and tissues were found to mature at different rates. White matter – responsible for connecting different brain regions – was found to be the main contributor to brain growth during mid-pregnancy, while grey matter – responsible for cognition and information processing – was found to dominate growth during late pregnancy and after birth.

The researchers also found that early brain development is carefully timed to meet ongoing developmental demands. For instance, subcortical grey matter structures (those deeper within the brain, such as the amygdala, cerebellum, and thalamus) show earlier peak growth rates than cortical grey matter, suggesting that brain systems supporting basic functions mature earlier than those involved in higher-order cognition.

Dr Richard Bethlehem, an Assistant Professor in Neuroinformatics, and a member of the team, said: “Establishing these brain growth trajectories early in life is critical because these may help us understand how differences in early brain development contribute to diverse outcomes, including psychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism, which is associated with differences in rates of brain growth.”

Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, Director of the Autism Research Centre, who supervised the study, added: “These findings may help us understand why males and females show differences in the likelihood of neurodivergent outcomes such as autism. For example, the early sex differences in the brain may be due to prenatal sex steroids, and autistic people are exposed to elevated levels of prenatal sex steroid hormones. Future research needs to join the dots in this exciting field of developmental neuroscience.”

The study used data from the Developing Human Connectome Project, funded by the European Research Council. The research was also supported by the Wellcome Trust, the Simon Foundation Autism Research Initiative, and a PhD studentship from Trinity College, Cambridge.

Reference

Khan, YT, et al. Mapping brain growth and sex differences across prenatal to postnatal development. Scientific Reports; 15 Jan 2026; DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-33981-w

Cambridge researchers have revealed a detailed picture of how the human brain grows from mid-pregnancy through the first weeks after birth and identified that sex differences in brain growth are apparent from mid-pregnancy onwards.

This study addresses the age-old question of whether nature plays a role in shaping sex differences in the brain

Alex Tsompanidis

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Young boy and girl

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Cambridge researchers named Fellows of the Academy for the Mathematical Sciences

sc604 — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 00:53:21 +0000

Included among the Fellowship are winners of the Fields Medal, business leaders, distinguished teachers and academics, science communicators, and pioneers of computing and machine learning. They will collaborate on tackling challenges, including pandemic preparedness, economic transformation, national security, and safe AI

Much like Fellows of the other National Academies (Royal Society, Royal Academy of Engineering, British Academy and the Academy of Medical Sciences), the Fellows of the Academy for the Mathematical Sciences have been recognised as leaders in their fields, through fundamental discoveries, exceptional work in education, or driving the application of mathematics across society.

The new Cambridge Fellows are:

Professor Sir John Aston FRS is the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research at the University of Cambridge. He is the Harding Professor of Statistics in Public Life and a Fellow of Churchill College. John leads research into the use of quantitative evidence in public policymaking. He works with those in public life to ensure they use the best methods. He aims to improve the use of statistics and quantitative evidence in public policy. He was Chief Scientific Adviser and Director-General for Science, Technology, Analysis, Research and Strategy at the Home Office from 2017 to 2020. He was a founding director of the Alan Turing Institute. John was knighted in 2021 for services to statistics and public policymaking.

Professor Anne-Christine Davis OBE is the Emeritus Professor of Mathematical Physics (1967) at Cambridge and Life Fellow of King's College, Cambridge. She was the first female Professor in the Faculty of Mathematics at Cambridge. She has held positions at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, CERN, Imperial College and Durham University. Her work over a number of years has been in the area of dark energy and theoretical cosmology. She was awarded an OBE in the King's Birthday honours in 2024.

Professor Richard Samworth FRS is Professor of Statistical Science and a Fellow of St John’s College. Since 2017, he has also been Director of the Statistical Laboratory. His main research interests are in statistical methodology and theory (particularly nonparametric and high-dimensional statistics), as well as the statistical foundations of AI. He received the COPSS Presidents' Award in 2018, was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2021 and was awarded the David Cox Medal for Statistics and the Royal Statistical Society Guy Medal in Silver in 2025.

Professor Carola-Bibiane Schönlieb is Professor of Applied Mathematics, Head of the Cambridge Image Analysis group and a Fellow of Jesus College. Her current research interests focus on variational methods, partial differential equations and machine learning for image analysis, image processing and inverse imaging problems, and the mathematical foundations of machine learning. Her research has been acknowledged by scientific prizes, among them the LMS Whitehead Prize 2016, the Philip Leverhulme Prize in 2017, the Calderon Prize 2019, a Royal Society Wolfson fellowship in 2020, and an ELLIS fellowship in 2025. She convened the European Women in Mathematics Association between 2016 and 2020 and chaired the Committee for Applications and Interdisciplinary Relations (CAIR) of the European Mathematical Society from 2021 to 2025.

Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter FRS OBE is Emeritus Professor of Statistics at Cambridge, and a Fellow of Churchill College. He was previously Chair of the Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication, which aimed to improve the way that statistical evidence is used by health professionals, patients, lawyers and judges, media and policymakers. He has authored several bestselling books and hosted multiple BBC4 documentaries. His career highlights include appearing on Desert Island Discs in 2022 and, in 2011, coming 7th in an episode of BBC One’s Winter Wipeout. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 2005, awarded an OBE in 2006, and knighted in 2014 for services to medical statistics. He was President of the Royal Statistical Society for 2017-2018, and has been a Non-Executive Director of the UK Statistics Authority since 2020.

Professor Jack Thorne FRS is a pure mathematician with research interests at the intersection of number theory, representation theory, and algebra, particularly in the Langlands programme and arithmetic statistics. For his contributions to the subject, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2020. Jack received his PhD from Harvard University in 2012, when he was elected a Clay Research Fellow, and has held positions at Harvard University and the University of Cambridge. He is currently Kuwait Professor of Number Theory & Algebra at Cambridge, and a Fellow of Trinity College.

Professor Wendelin Werner is Rouse Ball Professor at Cambridge since 2023. Prior to that, he had been a professor at University of Paris-Sud (1997-2013) and ETH Zürich (2013-2023). For his research in Probability Theory, he has received a number of awards, including the Fields Medal in 2006. He is an Honorary Fellow of Gonville & Caius College.

Lord Vallance KCB FRS FMedSci FRCP HonFREng, Minister for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), said:

“Mathematics sits at the heart of the UK’s scientific and technological strength and is essential to the development of the industries of the future, in exciting fields like AI and quantum.

“The Academy for the Mathematical Sciences’ inaugural Fellows represent the very best of this national capability, and I commend the Academy for bringing them together. Their expertise strengthens our security, boosts productivity and supports high‑quality jobs across the country, so it is only right that they are celebrated.”

Seven Cambridge researchers have been appointed Fellows of the Academy for the Mathematical Sciences. The inaugural cohort of 100 Fellows brings together the UK’s strongest mathematicians across academia, education, business, industry, and government to help solve some of the UK’s biggest challenges.

University of Cambridge

Senate House

Yes