Professor Kim Cornish is the Director of the Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences (MICCN) and Head of the School of Psychological Sciences at Monash University.

1. What sparked your interest in neuroscience?

As a PhD student in London in the late 80’s when I was testing children with neurodevelopmental brain disorders and found that despite similar intellectual abilities across different disorders- I could capture disorder-specific cognitive profiles that were genetic based. This has sparked 20 years of research.

2. Why do we need to crack the brains code?

As a developmental cognitive neuroscientist it is critical to me that infants and children with brain disorders have the best treatments available as early in life as possible. Understanding how the brain develops in those vital early years of life will allow us personalise interventions that target cognitive strengths and weaknesses.

3. If you weren’t a neuroscientist what would you be instead?

I would have been a professional Muay Thai Kickboxer. I love the martial arts and in particular the commitment needed to excel in the sport.

4. What’s your favourite fact about the brain?

The brain’s plasticity in early life and the fact that at the cognitive level, the adult brain is not merely a “grown up” version of the infant brain. Rather there is a gradual modularisation of cognitive subdomains that continue throughout development.