What Is BrainWaves
Better adolescent mental health
BrainWaves is a registered charity and long-term research and education collaboration between the University of Oxford, Swansea University and The Day News & Media Ltd, the leading publisher of news and critical literacy content for secondary schools.
It operates with a Trustee Board chaired by Geoff Nicholas and Paulo Eapen, with expert partners leading each area of delivery for the project.
BrainWaves is a major response to a growing number of young people experiencing mental health concerns. It is led by a group of academics, educationalists and philanthropists.
Experts at the University of Oxford, an acknowledged global leader in mental health research and large, longitudinal health studies, are creating a cohort of young people from today’s school students and will be following them over several years, providing a unique insight into the adolescent brain and mental health.
Using the data from our cohort, we are creating evidence-based, multi-sectoral resources to:
- Aid researchers to discover more about the adolescent brain
- Equip schools and educational professionals with evidence-based resources to care effectively for young people’s wellbeing
- Support young people to understand better their wellbeing and mental health
We also provide a platform for scientific studies to build on the evidence base and develop educational material for the classroom. Our mission is to equip schools with the resources and tools to effectively nurture mental wellbeing amongst young pupils.
A registered charity
BrainWaves is a registered charity dedicated to improving the mental health and wellbeing of young people through research, education and collaboration. As a charity, we rely on the generosity of donors, partners and supporters to continue this important work.
Every donation helps us expand our research, develop evidence-based resources for schools, support teachers and young people, and ensure that vital mental health insights remain freely available to researchers and educators. Your support enables us to build a stronger evidence base and create lasting improvements in adolescent mental health.
What we do
This is a new chapter in adolescent mental health and wellbeing. We have begun work on our long-term programme, which will combine data from different sources captured from one of the largest cohort studies on adolescents.
Over the next 10 years, BrainWaves will grow into a sophisticated framework enabling us to venture into genetics, neuroscience, and at-scale interventions.
- We have already started a new, rolling research cohort from a diverse group of UK secondary schools. This is going to provide a crucial evidence base about adolescent mental health.
- Researchers in the UK and globally will have free access to vital data assets, enabling new insights into prevention and treatment. The datasets are now available to request access.
- Teachers and students are already benefiting from evidence-based educational resources.
- Young people will see the impact of targeted interventions designed with their needs at the forefront.
You can read about our impact so far in our 2026 Impact Report
Get in touch
If you’re interested in working with BrainWaves or learning more about future opportunities, we’d love to hear from you.