OBE for Carluke man
Professor Ian Deary’s years of research into brain and cognitive ageing and his discovery of the links between intelligence and health brought the award in the New Year Honours List.
He showed great promise over half a century ago when he was the 1966 Dux at Carluke’s Crawforddyke Primary School and he went on to become a medical doctor and psychiatrist before moving into the field of academic psychology.
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Hide AdProfessor Deary is now the Director of the Medical Research Council Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh. He set up and leads the Lothian Birth Cohort studies, which are the longest studies of human intelligence and ageing in the world. He has published over 800 scientific articles and written four books.
Although he now lives away from Carluke, his parents and sister still live in the town. His many discoveries led to his being elected to prestigious Fellowships in the British Academy, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and the Academy of Medical Sciences. He has been given lifetime achievement awards by several international organisations, including the American Association for Psychological Science.
Speaking to the Gazette, Ian said: “I am delighted and surprised by this high honour.
“I am proud to take the bow on behalf of my research team and the participants and supporters of the Lothian Birth Cohorts.
“I owe a lot to my mum Isobelle -a life-long Carluke resident - who fired my enduring intellectual curiosity.”