Scholars' Library: Maureen Dunne on 'The Neurodiversity Edge'

This event is free and open to the public.

For our June event, in conversation with fellow Scholar Olivia McGinnis (Pennsylvania & Magdalen 2020), Maureen Dunne (Illinois & New College 1999) will discuss her newest book The Neurodiversity Edge. Amongst other topics, Maureen will discuss her journey writing the book, the challenges of authentic neuroinclusion and the role it stands to play in the age of artificial intelligence. She will also discuss ways in which to build a universal empathy network where the broadest possible range of cognitive diversity is celebrated as an asset.

The Neurodiversity Edge introduces a transformative framework for addressing the most important human resources opportunity of the 21st century.

​From renowned Oxford-trained cognitive scientist, neurodiversity expert, and neurodivergent business leader, Dr. Maureen Dunne, this trailblazing guide presents a groundbreaking new approach for bridging the staggering divide between organizations starved for motivated workers and the enormous untapped talent pool defined by cognitive differences―the 15-20% of the global population comprised of the autistic, ADHDers, the dyslexic, synesthetes, the dyspraxic, and others with neurological differences. The book was recenlty selected as a top new release by Porchlight Book Company.

You can purchase Maureen's book here

Maureen Dunne (Illinois & New College 1999) is a cognitive scientist, neurodiversity expert, global keynote speaker, board director, and business leader with over two decades of experience helping organizations build thriving cultures. She has served as a Senior Advisor to some of the world's top corporate brands, Fortune 500 companies, universities, venture capital funds, and government officials, including the LEGO Foundation, Cornell University, and Members of Congress. She also recently co-created the executive education program for business leaders on "Future-Ready Leadership" at the Harvard Kennedy School.

A member of the neurodiversity community, she is a frequent media commentator and contributor on neurodiversity and the future of work. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Bloomberg, Entrepreneur, MIT Sloan Management Review, Chicago Tribune, DiversityQ, Salon, New York Times, People Management magazine, USA Today, Inside Higher Ed, Unleash and Newsweek. A keynote speaker at Stanford University and the National Science Foundation, she was also a featured speaker at The Atlantic Festival where Neurodiversity was included as part of its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion theme for the first time in history.

A successful entrepreneur and business leader, Maureen is CEO of Nodi.ai and a member of the Young Presidents' Organization, an invite-only organization for the world's top chief executives. At LEGO, Maureen helped launch a Social Impact Accelerator Fund to support innovation and entrepreneurship in neurodiversity.

The first community college graduate to be named a Rhodes Scholar, she is also an elected official helping to build the talent pipeline with community colleges, representing over 12 million students at the national level.

She received a joint BA/MA from the University of Chicago, MSc from the London School of Economics, and doctorate from the University of Oxford. She lives in Chicago with her husband and three children.

Olivia McGinnis (Pennsylvania & Magdalen 2020) is pursuing a D.Phil. in Neuroscience at the University of Oxford, where she is studying a genetic mechanism in fruit flies that gives rise to sex differences in their navigational strategies. Her research aims to gain insight into how the brain of each sex, using essentially the same genome, produces sex differences in neuronal function, behavior, and disease states. Olivia advocates for women in science and mental health solutions as a departmental student representative and a former volunteer with Oxford based mental health charity, Restore. At Restore, Olivia visited with inpatients on acute psychiatric wards to offer information and guidance about services available upon discharge. She is also interested in science communication and has written articles and designed visual art pieces for student publications throughout her career. Outside of work, Olivia enjoys visiting art exhibitions, running along Oxford’s canals, and exploring new bookshops and cafes.

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Q & A:

Please feel free to submit any questions in advance to alumni@rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk or you can use the Q&A function within Zoom to ask questions directly during the live event.

There is no cost to attend this event, and we hope that all will join us! If you would like to support The Rhodes Trust, please consider giving time through volunteering, or giving a gift to the Scholars Fund. If you are interested in our volunteering opportunities, they can be found on our website.

A LT TEXT: A light blue background within which says 'Scholars' Library series' in a bolder, darker blue. There is the Rhodes 'R' and inside of that there is a shelf of books of various colours.

Part of the Lifelong Fellowship portfolio, The Scholars’ Library is a monthly book talk series, where Rhodes alumni can come together to present, discover and debate their literary works. If you’re interested in getting involved, please reach out to Georgie Thurston at alumni@rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk