Richards Lab

06/08/2026

Members of our team had a wonderful time at the Angelman Family Conference hosted by AngelmanUK over the weekend at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel in Coventry.

It was a pleasure to deliver a talk, as well as meet so many lovely families and to have the chance to chat about our research and future projects.

A big thank you to everyone who came over to speak with us, we had a fantastic time! 💙

23/07/2026

📆 THROWBACK THURSDAY 📆
Members of our team had a brilliant time attending the Kleefstra Syndrome UK Family Conference on Saturday 4th July 💜

Dr Rory O'Sullivan and Kiran Kaur had a fantastic time speaking with families and sharing our current research opportunities taking place across the The Cerebra Network for Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

A huge thank you to all the families who took the time to speak with us and to everyone involved in organising a fantastic meeting! 😊

13/07/2026

📢 📄 Paper & Resource Spotlight 📄 📢

In this invited article Dr Catherine Laverty & Prof. Caroline Richards explore how open science principles can be embedded alongside inclusive research practices to improve research involving people with intellectual disabilities.

Alongside the discussion, the paper includes a practical framework for incorporating open and inclusive research practices throughout the research process, from study design and participant involvement through to data collection, dissemination and data sharing. We hope it provides a useful starting point for researchers looking to embed transparency, accessibility and meaningful inclusion into their work.

Open science is about more than open access or data sharing. By combining open science principles with inclusive research practices, we can help make research more transparent, collaborative and relevant to the communities it aims to benefit.

📖 You can read the open-access paper here:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12703061/

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

08/07/2026

It was a pleasure for members of our team to attend the 2026 SMS Family Weekend at Barnstondale Activity Centre a couple of weeks ago.

The weekend was all about bringing together SMS families in a relaxed and understanding environment, with a mix of outdoor activities, time to relax and opportunities to learn and share. A big thank you to the SMS Foundation UK for having us! 💙💛

02/07/2026

It was great to attend hosted by the University of Durham earlier this week, and a pleasure to see several members of our lab presenting their brilliant posters!

29/06/2026

This weekend, members of our team had a fantastic time attending the SATB2 Gene Trust UK UK Family Day 💜 💚

Dr Lauren Shelley and Dr Jane Waite had a fantastic time speaking with families and sharing our current research opportunities taking place across the The Cerebra Network for Neurodevelopmental Disorder.

A huge thank you to all the families who took the time to speak with us and to everyone involved in organising a fantastic meeting! 😊

25/06/2026

📆THROWBACK THURSDAY 📆

It was a pleasure for members of our team to attend the SEN Policy Research Forum seminar on Thursday 4th June at London South Bank University, where the lived experiences of adults with learning disabilities were explored to inform priorities for education, transition planning and meaningful life outcomes.

This event was a valuable look into what truly matters for young people as they transition into adulthood, and how education systems can better support these aspirations.

Interesting talks were delivered on social experiences of adults with learning disabilities, learning from lived experience and key priorities for future Government policies.

17/06/2026

It was an interesting day of talks at the Genomics and Mental Health Research Day at Cambridge University last Friday, with topics ranging from post-diagnostic barriers, obstacles and impact, to investigating structural brain abnormalities in individuals with chromatin-related disorders.

A big thank you to CANDDID (Centre for Autism, Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Intellectual Disability) and Dr Kate Baker for the wonderful day!

15/06/2026

We are looking for more parents of babies (aged 6-12 months) with a genetic syndrome to take part in our research project based at the University of Birmingham ❗️

The iMove Project aims to look at repetitive movements and sensory differences in babies with genetic syndromes in comparison to those without. A gift for both baby and parents will be given at the end of the study, as well as a personalised feedback report!

One of our most recent visitors to the lab had a great time interacting with our team and took their role as a researcher very seriously🤩(see photo below!)

If you would be willing to take part with your child, please email Rachel Martlew at [email protected] for further information 🌟

09/06/2026

Members of the team were delighted to attend the Tuberous Sclerosis Association Big Day 2026 in Milton Keynes this weekend! 💚💜

Their 'Big Day' is a wonderful opportunity for the TSC community to come together, share experiences and build new connections. Our team thoroughly enjoyed meeting individuals and families, discussing our research, and hearing about the issues that matter most to the community.

A big thank you to everyone who stopped by to chat with us! 😊