Her doctorate research was undertaken at the Babraham Institute with Professor Gareth Leng and she graduated with a Ph.D. in Neuroendocrinology from the University of Cambridge in 1993.

[4] Dickson is a leading figure in Neuroendocrinology and works within many European Union and international organisations and societies to promote research, facilitate grant funding and training of Early Career Scientists.

Her research into the neurobiology of appetite is at the forefront of world knowledge and she is recognised for many breakthrough contributions.

[5] This work involves studies in rats and transgenic mice and includes behavioural tasks, viral vector mapping, chemogenetics and RNAscope.

Dickson is President and Executive Committee member of board of the European Brain Council.