Daisy Fancourt is Professor of Psychobiology & Epidemiology at University College London and Head of the Social Biobehavioural Research Group. Her research explores how social behaviors—including loneliness, arts engagement, and social prescribing—affect health. She has secured over £30 million in research funding, published 300 peer-reviewed papers, and is recognized among the world’s most highly cited scientists.

A leader in arts and health, Fancourt authored the World Health Organization’s 2019 global evidence review on arts and health. synthesizing 3,500+ studies and informing policy across 53 countries. She directs the WHO Collaborating Centre on Arts and Health and advises both WHO and the UK government on arts, culture, and health.

During COVID-19, she led the UK’s largest study of the pandemic’s psychological and social impacts and directed an international mental health research network. Her work has earned major honors, including the British Science Association Award for Arts & Sciences and recognition as a BBC New Generation Thinker.