BRAIN AGEING, DEMENTIA AND PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS
Professor Perminder S. Sachdev AM, MBBS, MD, PhD, FRANZCP, FAAHMS, Scientia Professor of Neuropsychiatry, UNSW Sydney & Co-director of the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), UNSW Sydney & Director of the Neuropsychiatric Institute, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia & Co-Director of the Australian Dementia Network (ADNeT) & Director of the Centre for Research Excellence in Vascular Contributions to Dementia (CRE VCD)
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Sydney, Australia | May 2026
Professor Perminder Sachdev graduated from the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, in 1978 and completed his MD in Psychiatry there in 1983. Following time in New Zealand, he relocated to Australia, where he completed psychiatric training and a PhD at UNSW in 1991. His doctoral work examined ethnopsychological concepts in Māori culture. His early research focused on drug-induced movement disorders, including akathisia, tardive dyskinesia and neuroleptic malignant syndrome, while his later work has centred on dementia and pre-dementia syndromes, particularly neuroimaging, biomarkers and risk factors.
Professor Sachdev has held numerous leadership roles, including membership of the DSM-5 Neurocognitive Disorders Work Group, President of the International College of Geriatric Psychoneuropharmacology, and leadership positions within VASCOG, the International Neuropsychiatric Association, and the RANZCP Neuropsychiatry Section. He has also contributed extensively to Alzheimer’s Australia and Tourette syndrome advocacy.
His research interests span neuropsychiatric disorders of ageing, vascular and Alzheimer’s dementia, mild cognitive impairment, brain stimulation therapies, neuroimaging, Tourette syndrome and adult ADHD. In 2012, he co-founded CHeBA and leads major longitudinal studies, including the Sydney Memory and Ageing Study, alongside international consortia such as COSMIC, STROKOG and ICC-Dementia.
His achievements have been widely recognised, including appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia (2011), Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (2015), and recipient of the Ryman Prize (2022) for contributions to ageing research. He has also received the Lishman Oration Award (2024) and a Lifetime Achievement Award (2025).
Professor Sachdev has authored over 1,000 journal articles, multiple books, and a book of poetry.
Source: Supplied
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3421-4176
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New treatments for patients with mental illness
Associate Professor Bernadette Fitzgibbon is a neuroscientist with several decades of experience in researching, developing, and translating novel therapies for mental health and chronic pain conditions. This includes the application and optimisation of brain stimulation and psychedelic therapies, overseeing large multi-site intervention trials, both within Australia and abroad. Through her work, she has developed meaningful collaborations with consumers, volunteers, policy makers, and services providers, ensuring that the outcomes of her work contribute towards real-world clinical impact.
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Junior Fellowship to develop vaccine for bacteria that cause ear infections
Dr Erin Brazel has a background in molecular and translational microbiology, with a focus on developing new ways of preventing and treating bacterial diseases. Recently Dr Brazel has been awarded a Junior Fellowship by the Passe & Williams Memorial Foundation.
The fellowship enables outstanding individuals to obtain postdoctoral training under the supervision of an experienced clinical or scientific researcher, with the view to establishing a research career in Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery in Australia and/or New Zealand.
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Dr Nischal Sahai
RESEARCH IN BRAIN COMPUTER INTERFACE
@ SYNCHRON
MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA
