Aikaterini Fotopoulou

Aikaterini Fotopoulou, also known as Katerina Fotopoulou, is a Greek psychologist and cognitive neuroscientist. She is Professor of Psychodynamic Neuroscience in the Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology at University College London.

She is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, past co-chair of its International Convention, and a past President of the Psychology Section of the British Science Association.

Early life and education Fotopoulou was born in Greece. As a child she wanted to become a journalist. She studied psychology at Panteio University of Social and Political Sciences in Athens. She subsequently earned Master's degrees in cognitive neuropsychology and theoretical psychoanalysis at University College London. Her work examines how individuals’ perceptions of self—whether related to bodily awareness or autobiographical memory—are affected by neurological conditions such as stroke and dementia, as well as psychiatric disorders including eating disorders, somatic symptom disorders, and functional neurological conditions.

Fotopoulou has also conducted research on social affective regulation, or the ways in which individuals support one another’s emotional states. She has investigated neural responses to pain when family and friends are present.

Fotopoulou is also the founder and current Director of the Centre of Equality Research in Brain Sciences (the ERB Centre), which was the first research body of this kind.

Awards and honours 2006 Clifford Yorke Prize 2010 Hellenic Medical Society of the UK Papanikolaou Prize 2011 British Neuropsychological Society Elizabeth Warrington Prize 2013 European Research Council Starting Investigator Grant (The Bodily Self) 2014 World Economic Forum Distinguished Young Scientist Award 2018 European Research Council Consolidator Grant

Selected publications