Dr Richard Burman

Research Interests

I am a clinician-scientist working at the interface between fundamental and clinical neuroscience. I trained in medicine and neuroscience at the University of Cape Town, before reading for a doctorate in neuroscience at the University of Oxford and undertaking fellowships at the University Children’s Hospital in Zurich and the University Hospital of Bern. My research has examined how brain function is regulated across synaptic, cellular, and network scales during sleep, wakefulness, and seizures. Through work with patients undergoing diagnostic evaluation for epilepsy surgery, I have also been able to use intracranial electrophysiology to directly measure how the human brain responds to neuromodulation.

At the Neuroscience Institute, I am extending this foundation through two translational research projects. The first focuses on paediatric epilepsy surgery, continuing my interest in epilepsy pathophysiology while studying referral pathways and outcomes in local programmes. The second focuses on the epidemiology and biology of meningiomas, including how exposure to exogenous progesterones may influence the local burden of disease. My goal is to produce high-quality African data that can make a meaningful contribution to the quality of care we can provide to our patients with complex neurological disease. 

Research Areas

Clinical Neuroscience • Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience