The Subject Fund in Psychological and Behavioural Sciences
The Psychological and Behavioural Sciences Tripos (Faculty of Biology) enables undergraduates to study for a Cambridge degree in Psychology over three years. This degree confers full accreditation by the British Psychological Society and enables undergraduates to study psychology alongside modules in a wide range of other subjects. These can range from social anthropology, sociology and criminology to disciplines such as cognitive neuroscience, metaphysics and history of science.
The James Russell Fund for Psychological and Behavioural Sciences has been endowed to support undergraduate and postgraduate PBS students with the cost of their academic-related activites. The new subject fund ensures that all our students can take full advantage of the opportunities open to them. It will also place PBS on an equal footing with the other endowed subjects, such as English and Natural Sciences. The Fund has been named for Professor James Russell, a former Director of Studies in Psychology at Queens’ and Professor of Cognitive Development in the Department of Psychology from 1987 to 2015. His work focused on cognitive development from infancy to middle childhood, philosophical psychology and language acquisition.
Thanks to the generosity of our donors, including support from the Queens' community during our second-ever Giving Day in 2023, £100,000 was raised to permanently establish this Fund in perpetuity. This endowment will provide an annual spend of £3,000. Grants from the Fund will be overseen by the Director of Studies in PBS, currently Dr Jane Garrison, who is a cognitive neuroscientist working in the Department of Psychology.
The Subject Fund will provide undergraduate and postgraduate students with assistance for:
- Books and other study materials / equipment
- Attendance at conferences, lectures, and events
- Research expenses
- Dissertation-binding costs
"Although we have a small intake of just three students a year, PBS has an excellent academic record at Queens’ with one of our students topping the Tripos exams and two more students in the top six last summer. We want to build on this success and promote Queens’ as a leading Cambridge College supporting Psychology students in all aspects of their academic endeavour. We therefore plan to establish a College Psychology Society to promote discussion among and cohesion between our students. Supplementing this with a Subject Fund is a key element of our strategy and will enable us to continue to attract and support the most talented students.”