Value proposition

Our scientists work to understand the development, organisation and function of the brain in health and disease.

The Queensland Brain Institute, at The University of Queensland, works to understand the development, organisation and function of the brain. We aim to understand the neural circuits in the brain, how their function results in behavioural outcomes, and how dysfunction of these circuits leads to disorders such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia.

We aim to:
1. Develop novel therapeutic approaches to treat disorders of neural function and
2. Use our understanding of brain function to improve learning in classrooms and in the workplace.

Currently led by Professor Pankaj Sah, the Institute has achieved remarkable success in just 10 years. We have published more than 1200 papers and the quality of work produced by our 450+ staff and students.

It is QBI's excellence in the field that has played a key role in The University of Queensland (UQ) attaining the highest possible score of five for neuroscience, "well above world standard"​, in both the 2010, 2012 and 2015 Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) reviews, one of only two universities in Australia to achieve this.

In collaborations with clinicians and commercial partners, new discoveries are used as the basis to develop new therapeutic approaches to ameliorate the effects of brain diseases such as dementia, schizophrenia, motor neurone disease (MND), and anxiety and depression.

To focus on important areas, QBI has established several Institute Centres:

• The Science of Learning Research Centre (SLRC)

• The Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research (CJCADR)

• The Asia-Pacific Centre for Neuromodulation (APCN)


Neuroscience, Dementia, Science of Learning, Neurogenetics and Statistical Genomics, and Alzheimer's Disease