Francesca Happe

Professor Francesca Happe is a distinguished Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at King's College London, based in the Social Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre within the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience. With over 30 years of dedicated research in autism, she serves as Director of the MRC Centre and Head of the Department of Social Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry. Her work spans cognitive experiments, functional neuroimaging, exploration of acquired brain lesions, and behavior genetic approaches.

Professor Happe's primary research interests include autism spectrum disorders, social cognition, theory of mind, mentalizing difficulties in autism, abilities and assets in autism, and the relationship to detail-focused cognitive style. Recent work has expanded to mental health on the autism spectrum, with particular attention to under-researched subgroups including women and elderly individuals. Her research has evolved to examine aging across the autism spectrum, quality of life differences, and the unique challenges faced by autistic adults as they age.

Analysis of Professor Happe's recent publications reveals a strong focus on aging and autism, gender differences in autism presentation and diagnosis, mental health challenges, and quality of life for autistic individuals. Her work increasingly examines underrepresented populations and addresses critical gaps in autism research, particularly regarding older autistic adults and women. There's a clear interdisciplinary approach spanning psychology, neuroscience, gerontology, and public health.

Among her numerous accolades, Professor Happe is a Fellow of the British Academy and the Academy of Medical Sciences, past-President of the International Society for Autism Research (2013-2015), and recipient of the British Psychological Society Spearman Medal and President's Award, the Experimental Psychology Society Prize, the Royal Society Rosalind Franklin Award, and a CBE for services to the study of autism.

Professor Happe leads the ReSpect Lab (Researching Autism across the Spectrum and Lifespan) and the Social Relationships Study, a longitudinal study ongoing since 2007. She has secured significant funding from organizations including the British Academy, Wellcome Trust, and NIHR. Her research portfolio includes projects on aging in autism, sensory processing differences, mental health challenges, and diagnostic pathways. She actively supervises PhD students and early-career researchers in her lab.

Professor Happe teaches autism-related topics across various courses including BSc Psychology, BSc Neuroscience, MSc Genes, Environment and Development in Psychology and Psychiatry, and MSc Developmental Psychology and Psychopathology. She is also an active public engagement figure, having been featured on BBC Radio 4's The Life Scientific, various television programs, and contributing to media outlets including The Daily Telegraph, The Observer, and The Guardian.