Dr Andrew Robinson is the Manchester Brain Bank Manager.

“Brains are as fascinating as people think, and while we don’t know everything about them, we’re trying our best to find out.”

Dr Andrew Robinson has contributed to the vital work of the Manchester Brain Bank since 2009. Initially joining the team as a Brain Bank technician, Dr Robinson then became a senior technician before assuming his current role as the Brain Bank Manager in 2018.

He completed his undergraduate degree in Zoology as a first-generation scholar. With a passion for neuroscience and translational research, he worked closely with Dr David Mann, founder of the Manchester Brain Bank, to build his career, and completed his PhD in 2016. 

Dr Robinson’s role as the Brain Bank’s manager is extremely varied, involving both laboratory-based and office-based work. He is responsible for carrying out large-scale dissections of brain donations to be further processed by the technical team. As manager, he collates data for the UK Brain Banks Network database.

He also provides support in diagnostics, having extensive knowledge and experience in the neuropathology of neurodegenerative diseases. A large part of his job includes managing and liaising with prospective researchers to encourage and guide them through the process of applying for tissue samples.

With the Brain Bank also acting as a teaching resource, Dr Robinson also spends time supervising medical students. “It’s really fulfilling to perhaps influence someone that didn’t think about doing neurology or neuroanatomy before,” he says.

Dr Robinson is an active researcher, utilising the Manchester Brain Bank as a key resource in his research, which largely focuses on the neuropathology of neurodegenerative diseases.

With publications in highly regarded journals, such as Nature, his work has contributed greatly to our understanding of neurological diseases. View Dr Robinson’s publications in the Research Explorer.

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