Dr Caroline Catmur PhD

Biography

Dr Caroline Catmur joined King’s College London in August 2015. Caroline's research expertise is in the psychological and neural mechanisms that underlie social cognitive abilities including imitation, empathy and theory of mind.  

Early in her career Caroline carried out a range of studies demonstrating how our brains represent other people's actions, in particular showing how social experience helps the brain's "mirror neuron" system to develop. Subsequently her research team used brain stimulation to investigate the brain basis of social interaction, with a particular focus on imitation and theory of mind. Most recently they have carried out a series of studies identifying the underlying processes that contribute to empathic ability. 

Prior to joining King’s Caroline was a Lecturer in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Surrey. She holds a PhD in Psychology from University College London and a BA in Experimental Psychology from the University of Oxford. She is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.  

In 2015 Caroline was awarded the Philip Leverhulme Prize in Psychology from the Leverhulme Trust. She has also received research support from the Royal Society, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Experimental Psychology Society, the John Templeton Foundation, and the Wellcome Trust.

Research Interests:

• Social cognition 
• Social neuroscience 
• Imitation 
• Empathy 
• Theory of mind 

Teaching:

• BSc Psychology
• BSc Neuroscience and Psychology
• MSc Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health