Professor Gina Rippon is Emeritus Professor of Cognitive Neuroimaging at the Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment, Aston University.
Her research has involved state-of-the-art brain imaging techniques to investigate developmental disorders such as autism. Her current research interests explores the under-recognition of autism in women and girls, especially in neuroscience research. Her new book on this topic: The Lost Girls of Autism (UK)/Off the Spectrum (US) was released in April 2025.
She also explores the use of neuroscience techniques to investigate social processes, especially those associated with the development of sex/gender differences in the human brain. She was a member of the Fawcett Society Commission on Gender Stereotypes in Early Childhood, contributing to the report Unlimited Potential.
She is an outspoken critic of ’neurotrash’, the populist (mis)use of neuroscience research to (mis)represent our understanding of brain-behaviour links, particularly on the topic of sex/gender differences. Her book on such topics, ‘The Gendered Brain’, published by Bodley Head and Penguin Random House, came out in the UK in 2019.
She is a passionate supporter of initiatives to address the under-representation of women in all spheres of influence, especially science. Under the heading “Mind the Gender Gap”, she offers a neuroscience-informed approach to diversity and inclusivity initiatives in a wide range of business and political organisations.