Lydia Hickman is a graduate student in the Cook Lab at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom. In her Ph.D. work, she explores the fundamental biological mechanisms underlying motor function and social cognition in the context of autism and Parkinson’s disease. Lydia co-founded the U21 Autism Research Network, an international collaboration among six research groups aiming to improve diversity and inclusion in autism research.
Lydia Hickman
Graduate student
University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom
From this contributor
Ways to make autism research more diverse and inclusive
Scientists must focus on the importance of representative study samples and of engaging with diverse autism community members.
Ways to make autism research more diverse and inclusive
By
Lydia Hickman
14 June 2022 | 6 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
Portfolio of SCN2A gene variants, and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 9 March.
Portfolio of SCN2A gene variants, and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 9 March.
By
Jill Adams
10 March 2026 | 2 min read
Hippocampus builds reputation as ‘general-purpose statistical learning machine’
New cross-species findings may help settle a long-standing debate about whether the hippocampus is required for passive learning.
Hippocampus builds reputation as ‘general-purpose statistical learning machine’
New cross-species findings may help settle a long-standing debate about whether the hippocampus is required for passive learning.
By
Natalia Mesa
10 March 2026 | 5 min read
‘The Fox, the Shrew, and You: How Brains Evolved,’ an excerpt
In his new book, Rogier Mars provides a detailed account of animal and human brain evolution. In this excerpt from Chapter 1, he starts with the sea squirt—and why it needs the brain it eats after its larval stage.
‘The Fox, the Shrew, and You: How Brains Evolved,’ an excerpt
In his new book, Rogier Mars provides a detailed account of animal and human brain evolution. In this excerpt from Chapter 1, he starts with the sea squirt—and why it needs the brain it eats after its larval stage.
By
Rogier Mars
10 March 2026 | 6 min read