Projects per year
Personal profile
Research interests
Dr. Fairchild’s current research is funded by the European Commission, the Medical Research Council, and the Economic and Social Research Council, and in the past he has been funded by the Wellcome Trust, the British Academy, and the charity Kids Company. The majority of this work has involved using neuropsychological or neuroimaging approaches to understand individual-level factors that contribute to risk for developing antisocial behaviour and aggression, such as facial emotion recognition difficulties and changes in brain structure or function.
The aim of Dr. Fairchild’s main research project, FemNAT-CD, which is a multi-site study taking place across several European countries, is to understand the causes of sex differences in antisocial behaviour in children and adolescents. This is an important issue because there are substantial sex differences in the prevalence of severe antisocial behaviour, and antisocial behaviour is extremely costly for the affected individuals, as well as their families, and society in general.
Another major project that Dr. Fairchild is involved in, the English and Romanian Adoptees’ Brain Imaging Study (ERABIS), seeks to understand the long-term consequences of institutional deprivation on brain development by studying the brains of adoptees who previously experienced varying durations of deprivation in Romanian orphanages. This study uses advanced structural and functional neuroimaging methods to investigate the impact of early deprivation on brain development, activity, and connectivity. As many of the adoptees have had positive outcomes, and have appeared to largely recover from their early negative experiences, another important focus of the study is understanding mechanisms of resilience – why is it that some adoptees show enduring mental health difficulties, whereas others appear to have overcome their earlier disadvantages and are adapting well to adult life?
As well as these research commitments, Dr. Fairchild coordinates and delivers teaching on the Developmental Psychopathology and Biological Psychology modules within the Psychology undergraduate programme.
Research interests
- The neurobiological bases of antisocial behaviour and violence in adolescence
- The development of the brain during childhood and adolescence
- Sex differences in antisocial behaviour and psychopathology
- The impact of trauma and adversity on the developing brain and risk for psychopathology
- Behavioural economic and neuroeconomic approaches to understanding mental disorders
Recent news
(This study was also covered in The Telegraph, The Guardian and several other national newspapers).
Willing to supervise doctoral students
Applications from prospective PhD students would be welcomed in any of the research areas described.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
Psychiatry, Doctor of Philosophy, Newcastle University
Sep 2000 → Aug 2004
Award Date: 31 Aug 2004
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Projects
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Psychological and physical heath impacts of childhood trauma: A longitudinal study based on the Drakenstein Child Health Study
1/11/19 → 31/10/23
Project: Research council
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Alterations in Structural and Functional Connectivity in ADHD: Implications for Theories of ADHD
González-Madruga, K., Staginnus, M. & Fairchild, G., 2022, Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences. Stanford, S. C. & Sciberras, E. (eds.). Cham, Switzerland: Springer, p. 445-481 37 p. (Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences; vol. 57).Research output: Chapter or section in a book/report/conference proceeding › Chapter or section
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A Prospective Study of the Impact of Severe Childhood Deprivation on Brain White Matter in Adult Adoptees: Widespread Localized Reductions in Volume But Unaffected Microstructural Organization
the ERA Young Adult Follow-Up Team, 1 Nov 2022, In: eNeuro. 9, 6, ENEURO.0188-22.2022.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Associations between childhood trauma and childhood psychiatric disorders: a prospective Brazilian birth cohort study
Bauer, A., Fairchild, G., Hammerton, G., Murray, J., Santos, I., Tovo Rodrigues, L., Munhoz, T., Barros, A., Matijasevich, A. & Halligan, S., 14 Sep 2022, (Acceptance date) In: The Lancet Psychiatry.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Associations between childhood trauma and childhood psychiatric disorders in Brazil: a population-based, prospective birth cohort study
Bauer, A., Fairchild, G., Hammerton, G., Murray, J., Santos, I. S., Tovo Rodrigues, L., Munhoz, T. N., Barros, A. J. D., Matijasevich, A. & Halligan, S., 31 Dec 2022, In: The Lancet Psychiatry. 9, 12, p. 969-977 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Default mode network connectivity and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adolescence: Associations with delay aversion and temporal discounting, but not mind wandering
Broulidakis, M. J., Golm, D., Cortese, S., Fairchild, G. & Sonuga-Barke, E., 31 Mar 2022, In: International Journal of Psychophysiology. 173, p. 38-44 7 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review