About the Event

The National Undergraduate Neuroanatomy Competition (NUNC) this year, in partnership with Medics.Academy, is a yearly competition aimed to provide an educational and intellectually stimulating event where students can enhance their neuroanatomy knowledge, strengthen their CVs and meet like- minded people. NUNC provides the opportunity for students to demonstrate their commitment to the fields of neurology and neurosurgery and provide evidence of their achievement. 


The day is divided into a morning of examinations comprising a 60-question SBA paper and a 30-station spotter examination, all based on gross neuroanatomy and its clinical application. The afternoon comprises a workshop and various talks from experts in the fields, ranging from their career paths to interesting case studies and research. Both pre-clinical and clinical undergraduate students with a strong anatomical component in their degrees are welcome and encouraged to participate.


The competition has now been running for the past 13 years, the first 10 of which were spent at the University of Southampton. NUNC relocated to the University of Glasgow in Spring of 2022, following Professor Border’s appointment as Glasgow University’s Head of Anatomy. NUNC has attracted a total of 371 students from 30 out of 46 UK medical schools, and it has become increasingly popular with each subsequent competition.


We are pleased to host the 14th annual NUNC on the 30th of May 2026 at the University of Glasgow and are looking forward to meeting you all.


WORDS FROM SOME OF OUR PREVIOUS DISSECTORS 


“Hey I’m Nikan Hoorijani, a 2nd year medical student at UofG and a dissector with NUNC. I do  enjoy learning about anatomy and practicing dissection skills to become a surgeon and to help  deliver the National Neuroanatomy Competition!” 


“Hey everyone! I'm Laiba, and I'm one of the dissectors for NUNC this year. I have an incredible  passion for human anatomy, and getting to explore it hands-on has been a fascinating journey.  Dissection has not only deepened my understanding but also created an amazing space for  peer learning. Working with my team in such a stimulating environment has been both  educational and a lot of fun!” 


WORDS FROM OUR PREVIOUS SBA WRITERS 


“My name is Ginevra Bubani,I am a fourth-year medical student at the University of Glasgow  with a strong interest in neurology and neurosurgery. I am the Education Officer for the National  Neuroanatomy Competition, where I collaborate to develop MCQs to make neuroanatomy  accessible and engaging for students. I am especially passionate about neuroanatomy for its  complexity and the endless opportunities it offers for both discovery and clinical application”. 



Instructor(s)

Scott Border

Co-founder and director of NUNC, Head of Anatomy, University of Glasgow

Professor Scott Border is currently chair of the education committee for the Anatomical Society where he selects and works with a national committee to deliver anatomical education strategies. An elected council member of the Anatomical Society and a Fellow of The Society, he has been an assessor for the Anatomical Society’s Anatomy Training Programme (ATP) for over four years, which is a scheme aimed at training future anatomy educators in the US and UK.

A selected reviewer for Anatomical Sciences Education, Professor Border has also reviewed numerous times for Medical Sciences Educator, BMC Medical Education, Clinical Anatomy, The Journal of Anatomy, Medical Education Online and The European Journal of Anatomy. Between 2015-2018, he was an external examiner at St Georges for the pre-clinical years of their four-year MBBS degree programme and is currently external examiner at Oxford University.

Isabelle Choong En Xin

President of NUNC

Hi, my name is Isabelle and I am a 4th year medical student at the University of Glasgow. I am the current President of the National Undergraduate Neuroanatomy Competition (NUNC).

Having been involved with the competition for the past three years, it has been a great honour and privilege to witness how NUNC has grown and to connect with like-minded individuals who share a passion for neuroanatomy. The brain never ceases to amaze me. It is a structure where small anatomical variations can profoundly shape a person’s lived experience. This is what initially drew me to neurology, and being part of NUNC has deepened my appreciation for how anatomy guides clinical neurological practice. Outside of medicine, I enjoy running and exploring new cafés, which help me unwind and maintain balance alongside academic commitments.

NUNC is a platform for anyone interested in neuroanatomy to fully immerse themselves in the subject, challenge their knowledge, and network with students and clinicians across the UK. I look forward to meeting you all at this year’s competition.

Dr. Thomas Butts

External Examiner for NUNC 2025

I am a developmental neurobiologist interested in how the brain develops and how this development has evolved over the last 500 or so million years. I teach embryology, neuroanatomy, neuroscience, and evolutionary biology across the medical curriculum.

After reading Cell Biology at Durham, my PhD explored the evolution of the homeobox genes in animals, which are crucial in building animal embryos, under the supervision of Dr David Ferrier (now in St Andrews) and Prof Peter Holland at Oxford, where I was also a college lecturer at St Catherine's College. From there, I moved to work as a postdoctoral researcher with Prof Richard Wingate, Prof Andrew Lumsden, and Prof Anthony Graham at King's College London on the development and evolution of the hindbrain.

My first teaching post was as a lecturer in neurobiology on the Nanchang Joint Programme at QMUL, and before moving to Sunderland I was the programme director for the BSc Anatomy degree at the University of Liverpool.

I am a Senior Lecturer in Neuroscience in the School of Medicine, and the theme lead for Neuroscience. In addition to this, I am Deputy Phase 1 Lead, and the School's Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion lead, and a personal tutor.

I teach molecular biology, genetics, genomics, embryology, neuroanatomy, neuroscience, and evolutionary biology across the medical curriculum.

Organisation(s)

National Undergraduate Neuroanatomy Competition

The National Undergraduate Neuroanatomy Competition (NUNC) is a yearly competition aimed to provide an educational and intellectually stimulating event where students can enhance their neuroanatomy knowledge, strengthen their CVs and meet like-minded people. NUNC provides the opportunity for students to demonstrate their commitment to the fields of neurology and neurosurgery and provide evidence of their achievement.

The day is divided into a morning of examinations comprising a 60-question SBA paper and a 31-station spotter examination, all based on gross neuroanatomy and its clinical application. The afternoon comprises a workshop and various talks from experts in the fields, ranging from their career paths to interesting case studies and research. Both pre-clinical and clinical undergraduate students with a strong anatomical component in their degrees are welcome and encouraged to participate.

Medics Academy

Medics.Academy is a revolutionary online education platform enabling healthcare professionals and students to learn in new and innovative ways.

Medics.Academy has understood the need to provide high-quality, blended learning digital healthcare programmes. The digital components can be accessed anywhere and on any device. These programmes are sustainable, scalable, quality assured and will drive improvements in skills, knowledge and patient safety.

Founded in 2016 by people passionate about innovation in healthcare, we empower health professionals across the globe through innovative education and continued professional development. Our team of doctors, engineers, artists, and film-makers create engaging content as well as full education programmes up to and including masters and postgraduate levels, delivering the highest quality education to an international audience.

The Healthcare Leadership Academy

The Healthcare Leadership Academy formed in response to demand from young clinicians and medical students to learn about leadership.

Founded by Dr Johann Malawana (Course Director), former leader of the Junior Doctor Dispute, and a team of like-minded professionals (Our Faculty and Assistant Course Directors) the Healthcare Leadership Academy launched on 20th December 2016.

HLA houses an exciting faculty from across the health sector and beyond. Their shared aim is to inspire the next generation of healthcare professionals and develop their understanding of leadership. Too often in healthcare, leadership is confused with management. Through a combination of mentoring, Socratic discussion, and philosophical exploration, HLA aims to inspire our scholars to change the world of healthcare, one small step at a time.

At a time when the world seems an ever more worrying place, it is important that the next generation of healthcare professionals truly understand how to motivate the people they work with in order to best look after the populations they serve.