Brain Sciences academic colleagues celebrate promotion in Imperial's 2026 round

Four Brain Sciences researchers have been promoted this year in recognition of their contributions to neuroscience, neurology and psychoneuroendocrinology.

The promoted scientists are Tony Goldstone, promoted to Clinical Professor in PsychoNeuroEndocrinology; Nathan Skene, promoted to Associate Professor of Neurogenomics; Yen Foung Tai, promoted to Professor of Practice (Neurology); and Alastair Webb, promoted to Clinical Professor of Cerebrovascular Disease.

Their promotions form part of a wider round in which Imperial College London has announced 146 promotions across academic and teaching roles, recognising staff in the Business School and the Faculties of Engineering, Medicine and Natural Sciences.

Professor Peter Haynes, Provost and Deputy President, said: "From advances in monitoring the progression of neurodegenerative diseases and using AI for materials design, to developing research-informed education and collaborative learning opportunities, our colleagues are driving discovery and innovation across their fields. Their talent and dedication are what make Imperial a world-leading institution and a force for good in the world."

The full list of Imperial 2026 academic promotions can be found here, and below is a short overview of each of the four Brain Sciences promotions.

Tony Goldstone – Clinical Professor in PsychoNeuroEndocrinology

Tony Goldstone's research examines how hormones and the brain interact to shape eating and addictive behaviours. His work spans obesity following bariatric surgery, gut hormones as potential treatments for smoking and alcohol dependence, the genetic condition Prader-Willi syndrome, and hormonal disruption following traumatic brain injury. He is a Consultant Endocrinologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, where he runs specialist clinics for adults with genetic obesity and post-injury endocrine dysfunction, and his work has featured widely in broadcast media, including the BBC and Channel 4.

Nathan Skene – Associate Professor of Neurogenomics

Nathan Skene is a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow and group leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) at Imperial. He uses human genetics and single-cell genomics to identify which brain cell types drive specific diseases. His methods have linked Alzheimer's disease risk to microglia, schizophrenia to a specific subset of neurons, and Parkinson's disease to oligodendrocytes. He also leads work in single-cell epigenomics and machine learning, and champions reproducible research through open-source tools such as EWCE, MungeSumstats and scFlow .

“I’m delighted by the promotion and grateful to the team and collaborators who make our research possible. My ambition is to bring together human genetics, agentic AI and laboratory automation to change how we identify and test new drug targets,” said Dr Skene.

He added that he’s particularly excited about AI agents helping scientists plan experiments, analyse results and decide what to test next, with the aim of making discovery faster and more reproducible. “Ultimately, I want to help build a future in which every disease, rare or common, can be treated,” concluded Dr Skene.

Yen Foung Tai – Professor of Practice (Neurology)

Yen Foung Tai is an academic neurologist specialising in movement disorders. His research background lies in functional imaging markers of disease progression, particularly in the context of neuroprotective and neurorestorative therapies for Parkinson's and Huntington's disease. More recently, his work has turned to technology and neuromodulation, including deep brain stimulation (DBS), and he currently leads a study assessing the effects of spinal cord stimulation on gait dysfunction in Parkinson's. He leads the tertiary DBS service and the Parkinson's Clinical Trials Unit at the Imperial Academic Health Science Centre, sits on the Steering Committee of the Gait and Posture Study Group of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society, and is Imperial's Principal Investigator on the Michael J Fox Foundation-funded Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI). 

Reflecting on the promotion, Dr Tai said: "I joined Imperial when I started my PhD and have continued my association with the university throughout my clinical academic training and career... As my research is very patient-focused, the diverse patient population cohort at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust helps to shape many of my research questions." He added that he hopes to continue breaking down barriers between NHS and academic research, with the ambition of making a significant difference in the treatment of Parkinson's.

Alastair Webb – Clinical Professor of Cerebrovascular Disease

Alastair Webb leads the Imperial Small Vessel Disease Research Group, studying a condition that is common in older adults and implicated in roughly 30% of clot-related strokes, 80% of brain haemorrhages and 40% of dementia cases, yet still has no effective treatment. His research combines large-scale data analysis, MRI and clinical trials to understand its causes and develop new treatments, building on his 2024 OxHARP trial, which showed that sildenafil can improve cerebrovascular function in small vessel disease. He works clinically within the Acute Stroke service at Charing Cross Hospital.