About us

Our mission statement:

To conduct research that both deepens our understanding of autism, and has real-world relevance for improving the health and wellbeing of autistic people and their families.

We bring together scientists from across Cambridge University and international collaborators into multidisciplinary teams, and we ensure that evidence from research is translated into policy change and impact via the science-led lobbying charity, the Autism Centre of Excellence (ACE) at Cambridge.

The ARC comprises approximately 30 research scientists and support staff, drawn from a range of disciplines such as cognitive neuroscience, psychiatry, paediatrics, neonatology, genetics, bioinformatics, endocrinology, clinical psychology and psychiatry, epidemiology, proteomics, and molecular biology.

We use state-of-the-art technology in these investigations, including functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI and sMRI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), event-related potentials (ERPs), induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), whole genome sequencing, genome wide association studies, ultrasound scanning, amniocentesis, and gaze-tracking.

The ARC is partnered with many charities such as the Autism Centre of Excellence at Cambridge (ACE), the National Autistic Society and Autistica, many clinical providers such as the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mental Health Foundation NHS Trust and with companies such as Auticon and Universal Music. We also collaborate with universities such as King’s College London and the Institut Pasteur.

The ARC works closely with ACE, to accelerate basic and applied autism research and translate this into evidence-based clinical practice (services) and to increase employment opportunities for autistic adults.

The ARC receives major funding from the Simons Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), and the Rosetrees Trust, among many other donors and sponsors.

The ARC was founded in 1998. It has published over 750 peer reviewed articles, many books, and resources for autistic people, their families, for teachers and for clinicians.