Congratulations to this year’s Presidents’ Award winner 

We're delighted to announce that this year's prestigious British Psychological Society Presidents' Award has been presented to Professor Beth Jeffries.  

Beth has been recognised for her renowned work on the neural basis of memory and language and the impressive contribution she's made to the field of cognitive neuroscience. With an academic career spanning two decades and internationally celebrated research that's been cited thousands of times, Beth's work is an inspiration to researchers and colleagues alike. 

She has worked at the Department of Psychology at the University of York since 2007, and received her PhD in Neuropsychology at the University of Bristol. Her current work examines large-scale neural organisation of memory-guided and controlled cognition, focussing on flexible patterns of connectivity that sustain these states. 

Her methods include task-based fMRI, intrinsic connectivity and the evolution of cortical processing over time (using magnetoencephalography), to help understand how we retrieve different meanings for words and objects depending on our current goals. She also looks at the context we encounter words and objects, and how this changes in stroke aphasia.  

On receiving the Presidents' Award, Beth said: 

"I am thrilled and honoured to receive the President's Award. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to my current and former lab members — this prize reflects their hard work and ingenuity.  

"I am also deeply grateful to my collaborators, who have shared stimulating ideas and helped make our research such a joy. I'm fortunate to have the enduring support of my family, particularly my partner Paz, who has made significant sacrifices to support my career. I have also benefited enormously from the supportive environment at York and my wonderful colleagues." 

Chair of the Research Board and member of the Presidents' Award judging panel, Dr Richard Stephens, said:  

"Professor Beth Jefferies' application for the BPS Presidents' Award stood out. Beth's innovative research into memory and distributed brain networks, combining brain imaging with neuropsychological studies of dementia and stroke, is underpinned by major grants including ERC, BBSRC, and Wellcome.  

"Beth's leadership is evident in her being Chair of the Society for the Neurobiology of Language, as well as her commitment to open science, successful PhD supervision, mentoring, and her department's Gold Athena SWAN award. Her public engagement with stroke survivors further demonstrates the impact and inclusivity of her work". 

As part of the award win, Beth will receive a certificate of recognition and a lifetime membership of the British Psychological Society. 

Visit our awards and grants webpage to find out about all the ways that we recognise talent in psychology, and how to apply for an award scheme.