James Cusack joined Autistica in September 2015 as our Director of Science following a career in autism research at the University of Aberdeen. From a young age James has also worked directly with families affected by autism, as well as having experience in clinical, educational and social care settings. James has sat on a number of advisory panels discussing the role of research in autism, and was vocal in the production of the report, ‘A Future Made Together‘. He was part of a core stakeholder group which successfully campaigned for Scotland’s first ever autism strategy. He became Chief Executive in 2020 and is the first openly autistic CEO of a major charity.