Professor Francis McGlone is the head of the Somatosensory & Affective Neuroscience Group at the School of Natural Sciences & Psychology, Liverpool JM University, and Professor in Neuroscience at LJMU. He is also Visiting Professor at the University of Liverpool.
His primary area of academic research is characterising the role of afferent c-fibres in humans, investigating their role in pain, itch (for which an IgNobel prize was awarded!), and more concertedly the functional and affective properties of a novel class of c-fibres – C-tactile afferents – hypothesised to code for the pleasure of intimate touch. Techniques used in this research span single unit recordings with microneurography, psychophysical measurements, functional neuroimaging, behavioural measures, and psychopharmacological approaches .The lab is one of the first in the UK to have a single-unit microneurography and intraneural microstimulation capability.
Degrees
1976, University of Sussex, United Kingdom, PhD
1973, University of Sussex, United Kingdom, BSc (Hons), Neurobiology
Academic appointments
President, International Association for the Study of Affective Touch, 2014 – present
Member – MedTech West’s International Scientific Advisory Board, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 2012 – present
Eminent Visitng Professor, School of Medicine, University of Western Sydney, 2012 – 2015
Professor in Neuroscience, Natural Sciences & Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, 2010 – present
Visiting Professor, Institute of Psychology, Health & Society, University of Liverpool, 2008 – present
