Lisa Henderson

Professor Lisa Henderson is Head of the Department of Psychology at the University of York. She holds a BSc in Psychology (University of Hull, 2005), an MSc in Reading, Language and Cognition (University of York, 2006), and a PhD in Psychology (University of York, 2010). Her career includes a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh and roles as Lecturer (2012) and Senior Lecturer (2017) before becoming Professor and Department Head.

Research Interests: Dr. Henderson’s work focuses on the neurocognitive mechanisms of language learning, sleep’s role in vocabulary acquisition, and developmental disorders like dyslexia and autism. She investigates how sleep influences memory consolidation in children and adolescents, with applications to education and mental health interventions.

Grants & Projects:

• ESRC-funded SleepSmart Project: Examines sleep’s impact on language learning in children with autism.
• Waterloo Foundation SleepTalk! Grant: Analyzed sleep parameters in dyslexic and typically developing children.
• Sleep Extension Study: Tests sleep extension’s cognitive benefits in adolescents.

Advising & Grants:

• Current PhD Students: Amanda Olsson, Thomas Hunter, Catia Oliveria, Noel Lam.
• Past Students: Emma James, Sarah Wu.
• Collaborators include Gaskell, Weighall, and Norbury.

Labs & Teams: Leads the SLAM (Sleep, Language Acquisition, and Memory) research group, advancing interventions for sleep-related learning deficits.