Queensland Brain Institute

Vision Statement

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At UQ's Queensland Brain Institute we aim to improve lives through a deeper understanding of the brain in health and disease.

The Queensland Brain Institute (QBI), established in 2003, is a leading institute focused on two of the greatest challenges of modern science: understanding brain function and the prevention and treatments of disorders of brain function. 

Since its formation, the Institute has achieved remarkable success, and is currently led by Professor Pankaj Sah. We have published more than 5000 papers and the quality of work produced by QBI researchers is demonstrated by the Institute’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and Australia Research Council (ARC) grant success, attracting over $110 million in competitive grant funding to date. These grants are awarded following a rigorous, competitive and open peer review, and QBI continually achieves a success rate far above the national average.

QBI's excellence in the field 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 the 2010, 2012 and 2015 Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) reviews, one of only two universities in Australia to achieve this.

The Queensland Brain Institute 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.

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) was established in 2010, with the objectives being to identify research and understand effective teaching and learning practices in the light of current knowledge about basic learning processes and factors that influence successful human learning.

• The Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research (CJCADR) was established in 2012 and is focused entirely on research into the prevention and treatment of dementia.

• The Asia-Pacific Centre for Neuromodulation (APCN) is a world leader in using deep brain stimulation to revolutionise the diagnosis and treatment of neurological diseases.