Gillian Forrester

Professor Gillian Forrester is a Professor of Comparative Cognition at the University of Sussex's School of Psychology. She directs the Comparative Cognition Group, investigating cognitive evolution and development in humans and non-human great apes. Her work spans motor-sensory development, cerebral lateralization, and neurodevelopmental disorders. She holds a PhD from the University of Oxford and a BSc from the University of California, San Diego.

Research foci include evolutionary motor biases' impact on cognition, early motor markers for autism, and primate behavior. Notable grants include a 2023 Simons Foundation grant for infant motor behavior research. Awards include Senior Fellowship from the UK Higher Education Authority and a Daphne Jackson Research Fellowship. She leads public engagement via the Me, Human project, featuring science festivals, media appearances (BBC, CNN), and educational outreach. Collaborations include Royal Society exhibitions and TV documentaries on human evolution.

Her work combines experimental neuroscience (EEG, fNIRS) with comparative methods, analyzing ape communication and human evolutionary adaptation. Media contributions highlight infant motor development, great ape intelligence, and science communication advocacy. Grants total £2.3M+ across 3 major projects. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges evolutionary biology, developmental psychology, and public engagement.