Nick Puts

Nick (Nicolaas) Puts is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, United Kingdom. He joined King’s College London in January of 2020. Before this, he was a postdoctoral fellow and then Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore in the USA. Nick did his PhD at Cardiff University and his BSc in Biology and MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

Nick runs the “Sensory InPuts” lab, where they study sensory processing in typical and atypical neurodevelopment. The lab uses a combination of methods, including psychophysics and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy to assess sensory processing differences in children with and without neurodevelopmental conditions (autism, ADHD, Tourettes syndrome). Ultimately, the aim of the lab is to better understand the biological nature of sensory difficulties, their heterogeneity, and their impact (e.g. on anxiety), and to identify clear biomarkers with impact on the core symptoms of autism and ADHD. This would subsequently allow for potential targets for personalized diagnosis, support, and intervention.

Beyond this main aim, he is developing novel approaches to studying affective and social touch across development. Dr. Puts works predominantly in the AIMS-2-TRIALS consortium and through SFARI funded projects, and collaborates internationally on the acquisition, analysis, and dissemination of sensory measures and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. His lab is also using functional MRS approaches to assess neurometabolite dynamics.

Nick has a strong interest in supporting junior scientists in their career development, developed a short but useful Individual Development Plan, and was the first appointed Postdoc Program Director in his Department at JHU. He is director of the King’s Health Science Doctoral Training Centre, and is currently working on supporting novel mentorship and professional development opportunities in the IoPPN.

Research Interests

• Autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions
• Touch and other senses
• Advanced Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
• Psychophysics
• Sensory differences
• Neurodevelopment

Research Groups

• Sensory Functions in Autism consortium

Expertise and Public Engagement

• INSAR ECC committee mentoring initiative co-lead (and committee member)
• Instructor on Mentorship and Speaking to General Audience (ECRAN, INSAR ECC)
• Regular public lectures + training (prior: Most Valued Partner award, Wales)
• Sensory functions in autism consortium member
• AIMS-2-TRIALS consortium member
• Co-organizer EDITINGSCHOOL and International Symposium on GABA and Advanced MRS
• Regular review panels (NIH, Wellcome, MRC)