7 May 2025, 16:00-17:30, virtual event on Zoom
Join us for our 2025 Masterclass featuring neuroscientist, lecturer, author, blogger, podcaster, pundit, science communicator, and comedian, Dr Dean Burnett.
In this exclusive event, Dean will explore the fascinating workings of the developing brain, and how understanding its processes can create valuable opportunities in education.
He will discuss how the brain develops at various ages, and how this development shapes behaviour, thinking, emotional expression, and cognitive abilities.
Dean will also examine the key factors influencing brain development in an educational setting, namely school attendance, the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, the impact of sport and head injuries, and the role of technology and social media.
The event will conclude with a Q&A section where you will be able to ask Dr Burnett your own questions.
This is an event suitable for all registrants, particularly those who work with children and young people, and the wider education community.
Dean Burnett biography
Born and raised in Pontycymer, Dr Dean Burnett attended Cardiff University to complete a BSc in Neuroscience, and returned a few years later as a member of the Psychology School where he completed a neuroscience PhD in the role of the hippocampus in configural learning.
He is an honorary research fellow at Cardiff Psychology School, and previously held the roles of Visiting Industry Fellow at Birmingham City University, and psychiatry tutor and lecturer at the Cardiff University Centre for Medical Education.
A full-time author, Dean is well known for his satirical science column, Brain Flapping, at the Guardian, which ran from 2012 to 2018. This led to his internationally acclaimed bestselling debut book The Idiot Brain, which has resulted in several further books, including some aimed at young people.
Since the publication of his first book, Dean has appeared on numerous TV and radio programmes including Sunday Brunch, Sky News, Ducks Quacks Don’t Echo, Steve Wright in the Afternoon, Radio 4 Midweek, Loose Ends, Radio Wales, Saturday Live, Inside Science, Absolute Radio, Radio 5 Live, ABC (Australia), and many more.
He is also a regular at literary and science festivals, all around the world having performed alongside notable names including Simon Pegg, Jo Brand, Robin Ince, Prof. Brian Cox, Hannah Fry, Helen Czerski, Helen Keen, Russell Howard, Tony Law, Elis James, Simon Munnery, Andy Parsons, and many others.
Dean is a regular columnist for the BBC’s Science Focus magazine, as well as a frequent contributor for all manner of media platforms. As well as maintaining his Guardian blog for six years, Dean has also written for many publications worldwide including The Telegraph, Buzzfeed, GQ, Lonely Planet Guide, ReThink (the mental health charity), The Big Issue, Wales Weekend Magazine, New York Magazine, Psyche, The Psychologist, and many more.