Timothy John Brennen

Timothy John Brennen is a Professor in Cognitive and Neuropsychology at the University of Oslo's Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences. With a PhD in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Nottingham (1989) and postdoctoral experience at UiO, he has led research on facial recognition, memory-emotion interactions, trauma, lie detection, and seasonal cognition. He served as Vice Dean for Research (2016-2019) and Research Director at UiO (2008-2011).

• University of Exeter, BSc Psychology (1986)
• University of Nottingham, PhD Cognitive Psychology (1989)
• Université Pierre Mendès France & Université de Savoie, Alpine Research (1989-1990)

Research Interests: Brennen's work spans forensic psychology (eyewitness reliability, lie detection), cognitive psychology (memory mechanisms, tip-of-the-tongue phenomena), neuropsychology (trauma effects on memory), and seasonal cognition. His 2024 Law and Justice publication examines cultural universality in eyewitness psychology, while recent work explores verbal lie detection applicability.

Scientific Awards:

• University of Tromsø Young Researcher Award (2002)
• UiO Psychology Department Teaching Award (2005)

Service & Leadership: As Vice Dean, he shaped social science research strategy (2016-2019) and led UiO's Psychology Department as Deputy Director (2008-2011). He contributes to legal reforms as Deputy Member of Norway's Commission for Reopening Criminal Cases.