Max Coltheart (born 16 April 1939) is an Australian
cognitive scientist who specialises in cognitive neuropsychology and cognitive neuropsychiatry.
Coltheart was born in
Frankston, Victoria
Frankston is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Frankston local government area. Frankston recorded a population of 37,331 at the 2021 census.
Due ...
and grew up in Brisbane, Canberra and Bega. He commenced a Bachelor of Arts at the
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's ...
in 1957, and completed MA and PhD degrees there, then went on to a succession of academic posts including at the University of Sydney, 1965-1967,
Monash University
Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university h ...
, 1967-1969,
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a public research university with a main campus in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to "Uptown" Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also operates ...
, Canada 1969-1972) and the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
. He was Reader in Psychology at the
University of Reading
The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...
1972-1975 and Professor of Psychology at
Birkbeck College London University from 1975 to 1987. In 1987 he took up the position of Professor of Psychology in the Psychology Department of
Macquarie University.
in 2002 and in 2010 was appointed Emeritus Professor of Cognitive Science at Macquarie University.
. He is currently a Chief Investigator in the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Cognition and its Disorders at
. Among his prominent students is
and the two-factor theory of delusional belief in the 2000s as well as contributions to the debate about what can be learned about cognition from functional neuroimaging work
on 1 January 2001 "For service to Australian society and science in cognitive neuropsychology'.
"For service to cognitive psychology as a researcher and academic, and to people with learning difficulties".