Transformational gift will establish a Professorship of Young People’s Mental Health at the University of Cambridge
Christina and Peter Dawson have made a pioneering gift to establish a Professorship of Young People’s Mental Health. This builds on their previous giving to student mental health and wellbeing and will provide a unique and transformational addition to mental health research at Cambridge and beyond.
It is currently estimated that 1 in 5 young people in England have a mental health condition, compared to 1 in 8 in 2017. As mental health concerns among young people continue to rise globally, this post will ensure that Cambridge not only leads the way in advancing the science of young people’s mental health but also provides the best possible evidence-based support to its students.
Today’s students face a range of unprecedented challenges, before and during university. Our ambition is to promote student wellbeing as a fundamental component of a Cambridge education and to lead research on effective interventions that will improve their lives. The Dawson Professorship of Young People’s Mental Health represents a great leap forward towards this goal.
Christina and Peter Dawson have long been steadfast champions of student mental health and wellbeing at Cambridge and their inspired gift to create this endowed Professorship is both a clear next phase and a truly visionary advance for young people’s mental health research worldwide.
This gift is especially meaningful in light of the Collegiate University’s recent milestone success in reaching its £500m student support fundraising target, set in 2018, which was an extremely proud moment for our community.
The Dawson Professorship of Young People’s Mental Health will be based in the Department of Psychology at Cambridge and hold a Fellowship at St Catharine’s College. The Department’s proximity to Student Support Services will facilitate close collaboration with colleagues on the integration of the latest scientific research findings into practical interventions ensuring evidence-based support that is tailored to the unique needs of Cambridge students. Strong local partnerships with a wide range of schools provide a further opportunity to develop proactive early interventions that draw on the latest evidence and have the potential to be applied nationally and globally.
“We are thrilled that the University is dedicated to being a centre of excellence in mental health research for young people, and that this Professorship will be transformational to this vital area of research. Cambridge’s revolutionary approach will reveal insights into the brain science of mental health in young people and increase the global understanding and development of new interventions. We couldn’t be more excited to support this initiative with the foundational professorship.”
The Department of Psychology boasts a stellar track record in mental health research. Leveraging this expertise, the new postholder will spearhead research on interventions, neuroscience, and evidence synthesis to provide new insight and pioneering discoveries in mental health treatment and prevention.
Jeffrey W. Dalley, Professor of Neuroscience in the Departments of Psychology & Psychiatry and Director of Studies in Neuroscience & Psychology at St Catharine's College said:
“This extraordinarily generous gift from Christina and Peter will be truly transformative in accelerating research efforts in Cambridge to understand the brain science of mental health in young people. I am delighted this prestigious University Professorship will be affiliated with St Catharine’s and will enable the College to continue to be at the forefront of student support initiatives.”
Natalie Acton, Co-Head of Student Support at the University remarked:
“Mental health support for our students should always be based on the most robust research findings. So to have a Professorship dedicated to mental health research in young people, right here in Cambridge, is simply wonderful. We look forward to working with the post-holder and improving our offering to students as a result.”
It is hoped that the appointment of a world-leading expert in young people’s mental health will attract academics and expand research in the field, leading to further seminal discoveries to improve the lives of young people with mental health conditions. Recruitment for the post is now underway and it is anticipated that the successful candidate will take up the appointment on 1 October 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.
Enhancing student life across Collegiate Cambridge
Christina and Peter Dawson’s philanthropy is driven by a special interest in student mental health support and widening access to education. Peter read Natural Sciences at St Catharine’s and both he and Christina are long-standing supporters of the College.
In 2022, thanks to a cornerstone gift from the Dawsons, the University launched its Foundation Year—a programme providing a new route to undergraduate study for talented students from educationally and socially disadvantaged backgrounds.
Students receive a full one-year scholarship and follow an innovative course that prepares them for an undergraduate degree and supports them to realise their potential.
Creating a pipeline for the brightest minds to come to Cambridge and supporting them effectively once here are institutional priorities.
The Dawsons’ philanthropy spans a wide range of College activities including wellbeing and mental health support at Lucy Cavendish, Murray Edwards, Selwyn and St Catharine’s.
Following the completion of a Strategic Review of Mental Health Provision at Cambridge, the Dawsons bolstered the University‘s commitment to further transforming mental health and wellbeing by providing funding to implement a Mental Health Change programme over a three-year period.
The programme takes a whole-institution approach to student mental health and wellbeing with all parts of the system working in coordination to ensure students at the University of Cambridge receive the support they need to thrive academically and personally. The Dawsons’ gift has improved student support pathways, with services and guidance for students with more severe and complex mental health issues alongside new preventative approaches to student wellbeing. This includes an in-house neurodiversity screening service at Cambridge's Accessibility and Disability Resource Centre, which has helped hundreds of students since its launch, providing support with the next steps once a screening is complete. Additionally, they funded the College Wellbeing Stimulus Fund, which encourages and enables investment in preventative and early-intervention wellbeing support at colleges, as an integrated part of students' college experience.
Building on this transformational philanthropy, the Dawson Professorship of Young People’s Mental Health will ensure Cambridge is at the forefront of research into young people’s mental health and will strengthen the evidence base for how professionals can best support our students and other young people.
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Philanthropic giving is at the heart of the success of the Collegiate University, enabling us to make discoveries that change the world and to ensure that our students receive an unrivalled education. Cambridge owes its world-leading excellence in research and teaching to the generosity of its supporters. Our history is synonymous with a history of far-sighted benefaction, and the same is as true today as it has ever been.
