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Professor Iversen was elected Professor and Head of Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford in 1993 and remained Head until 2005. She was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 1999 and elected to a Supernumerary Fellowship of Magdalen College. She was Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research from 2000, and then of Planning and Resources at the University 2002 to 2004. In 2005 Professor Iversen was elected to an Emeritus Fellowship of Magdalen College. In recognition of her remarkable contributions to science and education, Professor Iversen was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2005 New Year’s Honours List.
Professor Iversen’s career flourished after completing her BA, PhD and ScD at Girton College, Cambridge where she then served as a Fellow of the college from 1966 to 1975. She was also a Reader in the Department of Experimental Psychology at Cambridge from 1966 to 1983, and a Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge from 1981 to 1993. Her research interests included brain neurotransmitters and pharmacological treatments of brain diseases.
In 1983, Professor Iversen joined the Merck Sharp & Dohme Neuroscience Research Centre in Harlow, where she worked until 1993. She was also a member of the Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) from 1991 to 1994 and served on the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) from 1994 to 1997.
Emeritus Professor Dick Passingham remembers her time as Head of Department of Experimental Psychology fondly: “When Larry Weiskrantz retired as Head of Department in 1993, we were lucky to be able to attract Sue Iversen as his successor. Sue was both lively and caring. For example, she used to call into my room and ask me what I had discovered recently. […] She was a very supportive person. Those were the days. Heads of Department had time, and many of the staff used to meet for coffee each morning. I very much hope that the Life and Mind building will bring members of the department together again and foster collaborations as happened when Sue our Head.”
This sentiment was echoed by Professor Trevor Robbins, first as an undergraduate and later as one of her PhD students: ‘My first memories of Sue were as my undergraduate supervisor in Psychology. These supervisions were far removed from the usual dry, somewhat formal experience - here was someone with sheer enthusiasm for the subject, sparkling-eyed, strikingly dressed, transforming minds and igniting personal ambitions. Like many others, I later had much to thank her for inspirational guidance and support as PhD student and subsequent, junior colleague. Although taking to academic psychology slightly late, Sue was evidently already an expert psychologist in terms of her shrewd and warm inter-personal insight.’
Sue inspired me to transfer to Psychology (from Biochemistry) when she supervised me as an undergraduate at Cambridge- and so she was not only a powerful role model for women in science, but her male students also.
- Professor Trevor Robbins
In 2022 Professor Iversen became the first women to have a building named after her on the Oxford Science Park, one of Europe's leading locations for science and technology companies. The 86,000 sq ft laboratory and office Iversen Building provides a high-specification grow-on space for science and technology companies.
Professor Iversen’s work and dedication to her field has left an indelible mark on the institutions she served and the many individuals who had the privilege of working with her.
Our current Head of Department, Professor Matthew Rushworth, commented: “Sue Iversen took the department into the 21st century and she was an inspiration for the many graduates, post-docs, and colleagues that she worked with over the years. Many of the people she first appointed and worked with are now leading researchers or key members of the university. She will be sadly missed but her legacy is an enduring one.”
Our thoughts are with her family, friends and colleagues.
More thoughts on Professor Iversen's passing:
Read Professor Dick Passingham's reflections here
Read Professor Trevor Robbin's Obituary for Professor Iversen here: https://www.bap.org.uk/newsitem.php?newsID=214
Oxford University: https://staff.admin.ox.ac.uk/article/professor-sue-iversen-19402025