James Gilleen joined the Department of Psychology in 2016. Prior to that, he was Programme Director MSc. Mental Health Studies programme at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IOPPN), Kings College London, and before then he worked in the Psychosis Studies at the  IOPPN, KCL with Prof. Sukhi Shergill and later Prof. Shitij Kapur examining novel treatments for cognitive enhancement in schizophrenia, and understanding the neuropsychiatric foundation of clinical symptoms of schizophrenia. Before this he completed his PhD with Prof. Tony David at the IOPPN, KCL examining the cognitive and psychological predictors of clinical insight in neuropsychiatric disorders.

His on-going research interests include: 1. conducting first-in-man, and first-in patient randomised clinical trials (RCTs) of novel drugs and other treatments to improve cognitive deficits in schizophrenia; 2. understanding and treating the neurobiological and social bases of paranoia; insight and metacognition; and 3. the neuropsychological predictors of schizotypy. 

More recently, he was the PI on the Covida Study investigating the psychological impact of COVID-19 on NHS health care staff (See www.covidastudy.com). This work was published in May 2021 and has been widely covered in international news outlets, included as evidence in a UK Gov Parliamentary Office of Science & Technology (POST) and submitted as evidence to a UK Gov Select Committee.

He uses a wide range of methodologies in his research: fMRI, rs-MR, EEG, cognitive/neuropsychological testing, clinical assessment, surveys, online testing, endocrinological markers . As per his publication list, he has published a large number of papers in world-leading journals in the field.

He is Chair of the Psychology Department ‘PROSE’ research seminar series, and is a a member of: the Institute of Mental Health (IoMH), COVID-MINDS, the Global Open Covid-19 Think Tank, and Centre for Cognition, Neuroscience and Neuroimaging and Combined Universities Brain Imaging Centre (CUBIC). He is also a founding member of the worldwide ENIGMA consortium on schizotypy research. Previously, he has also been a member of the European Union Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) Novel Methods leading to New Medications in Depression and Schizophrenia (NEWMEDS) consortium.

He has received funding from MRC/KHP, Research England, the British Academy, the Stanley Medical Research Institute and has, and continues to collaborate on cutting-edge research of novel compounds with Industry/Pharma (Takeda, GSK).  He has a number of on-going collaboration with world-leading experts at several international research centres (UCL, KCL, Mount Sinai (USA), Stonybrook (USA).

He is D3 Senior Fellow of the HEA, and was the recipient of the Vice-Chancellor Teaching Excellence Award in February 2019. He holds Honorary Visiting Researcher status at KCL and UCL.