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
Explore more from The Transmitter
ABCD Study omits gender-identity data from latest release
The removal counteracts the goals of the longitudinal study by “pretending that some aspects of adolescent brain development don’t exist,” says sex differences researcher Nicola Grissom.

ABCD Study omits gender-identity data from latest release
The removal counteracts the goals of the longitudinal study by “pretending that some aspects of adolescent brain development don’t exist,” says sex differences researcher Nicola Grissom.
Neuropeptides reprogram social roles in leafcutter ants
The mechanisms that control the labor roles of ants may also be conserved in naked mole rats, a new study shows.

Neuropeptides reprogram social roles in leafcutter ants
The mechanisms that control the labor roles of ants may also be conserved in naked mole rats, a new study shows.
Perspectives from the field: Opinions in autism research
This collection of Spectrum articles from the past 12 months highlights expert perspectives on autism’s heritability and its link to biological sex, the value of transdiagnostic frameworks, and the field’s future, among other topics.

Perspectives from the field: Opinions in autism research
This collection of Spectrum articles from the past 12 months highlights expert perspectives on autism’s heritability and its link to biological sex, the value of transdiagnostic frameworks, and the field’s future, among other topics.