Rate My Professor Karen Waldie

Her research focuses on the neural, environmental, and genetic bases of neurodevelopmental disorders and neurodivergence, including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and dyscalculia, employing techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging. Key contributions include research on structural brain differences that supported the Ministry of Education’s recognition of dyslexia as a disability in 2007, analysis of paracetamol use during pregnancy and links to childhood depression as part of the Growing Up in New Zealand study, and principal investigator roles on Marsden Fund grants examining environment and childhood mental health as well as ADHD brain behaviour. Waldie delivered her inaugural professorial lecture titled “Genes, brains and neurodiversity” in 2020 and was a finalist for the NEXT Woman of the Year award in 2019. She has contributed to collaborative projects such as The Chronicle of Cognition and maintains an active profile in developmental cognitive neuroscience.