Christopher Benjamin's primary interests center on how magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to understand brain function, and improve the quality of life of children suffering from brain-related disorder. His current work focuses on applying some of the group's DTI methods to map the function of key brain regions before children undergo surgery to treat epilepsy. This research will help make certain that the outcome from surgery is the best that it can be. He has also previously looked at how violations of the assumptions underlying the analysis of MRI data may distort study findings.
His other research focuses on using fMRI to develop models of typical cognitive function, and then evaluating these through understanding pathological conditions. For example, he recently developed a novel task to assess high-level (fluent) reading skills and described how the brain supports fluent reading, then extended this study to understand how reading (as well as the executive functions) develop in typical children and children with reading disorder and/or ADHD.