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Harriet Dempsey-Jones

Postdoctoral Researcher in Cognitive Neurosciences, UCL
I am a researcher in the field of cognitive psychology at University College London. I look at how our brains and particular cognitive processes cause our subjective psychological and perceptual experience.

My research looks at how the body processes touch and other sensory inputs. Particularly, I am interested in plasticity in the area of the brain that processes sensory inputs from your body - the somatosensory cortex. I look at how this system is shaped by adding or removing sensory inputs.

For example, I look at how daily activity (the way our bodies move and how we interact with the world) causes patterns of sensory input that shape the body map in the brain. I also look at how we can directly improve perception by adding input through training - sensory enhancement.

On the other side of the coin, I am also interested in understanding the effects of sensory deprivation. What happens to the brain and, subsequently, to perception when you remove sensory inputs? I look at this on short-term timescale using anaesthetics and on a longer timescale by working with people who have experienced amputation of one or more limbs.

In my PhD at the University of Queensland I looked at how our brains combine sensory inputs from our eyes, ears, skin etc. to form a coherent perception of the world and our bodies. My undergraduate studies were in psychology where I covered a diversity of topics related to perceptual, cognitive, social, neuroscience, business and statistical aspects of psychological research.

I also love teaching, and has taught a variety of courses at my various universities on neuroscience, physiology and psychology.

What is the best sense? Scientists are still battling it out

Apr 01, 2019 17:19 pm UTC| Insights & Views Science

If there is one thing Twitter has taught us, its that the world loves a question that sounds stupid, but actually has a profound and interesting answer. For instance, what would happen if the world suddenly turned into...

How the brain remembers amputated limbs – and continues to control them

Feb 08, 2019 11:57 am UTC| Insights & Views Health

Most people who have lost a limb still feel its presence decades later. This phenomenon, dubbed phantom limb, has long been a mystery. But with new ultra-high resolution brain scanning, are now able to look inside the...

Economy

UAE Central Bank Probes Banque Misr Over Iran Links

The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates has launched an urgent investigation into Banque Misrs UAE branches following a U.S. move to restrict the lenders access to the dollar clearing system over alleged financial...

Canadian Dollar Slides as Fed Rate Hike Bets Boost US Dollar

The Canadian dollar weakened on Friday and was on track for its sharpest weekly decline in more than two months, as a stronger U.S. dollar overshadowed surprisingly robust Canadian economic growth. The loonie traded near...

Bessent Defends US Yen Intervention Over Treasury Market Risks

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has defended Washingtons decision to support the Japanese yen in late July, arguing that severe currency volatility could threaten global financial stability and ultimately push U.S....

US Dollar Hits Two-Week High After Hawkish Fed Speech

The U.S. dollar climbed to a near two-week high on Friday after Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh delivered a hawkish message at the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium, strengthening expectations for a September...

Oil Prices Slip as Venezuela Supply Prospects Weigh on Market

Oil prices edged lower on Friday as traders assessed reports that the United States was nearing a deal for long-term access to Venezuelan crude reserves, potentially opening the door to billions of dollars in investment...

Politics

King Haakon VIII Honors Late Father Harald in First Address

King Haakon VIII of Norway paid an emotional tribute to his late father, King Harald, in his first address to the nation since ascending the throne, praising him as a devoted parent and a monarch who championed unity and...

Iceland Counts Votes in Close EU Membership Talks Referendum

Iceland began counting ballots late Saturday after voters took part in a closely contested referendum on whether the country should reopen European Union membership negotiations, reviving a decades-long debate over...

South Korea Leveraged Chip ETF Trading Plunges After New Rules

South Korean retail investors are rapidly retreating from leveraged exchange-traded funds linked to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix after regulators imposed stricter trading requirements, Bloomberg reported Sunday....

Finland’s Stubb Says Russia Unlikely to Attack NATO

Finland President Alexander Stubb has played down concerns that Russia could launch an attack against a NATO member, arguing that Moscow would have little reason to challenge the worlds most powerful military alliance....

Nepal Declines Foreign Rescue Aid After Deadly Flash Flood

Nepal has said it does not currently require foreign search-and-rescue assistance following a devastating flash flood that killed nearly 500 people and left hundreds of foreign nationals missing. The disaster struck...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Pinterest Stock Falls as CFO Julia Brau Donnelly Resigns

Pinterest Inc. (NYSE: PINS) shares fell sharply in after-hours trading on Friday after the social media company announced the resignation of Chief Financial Officer Julia Brau Donnelly, prompting investor attention on the...

PayPal Shares Sink as $50 Billion Takeover Bid Collapses

PayPal Holdings (NASDAQ: PYPL) shares plunged in extended trading after a consortium led by private equity firm Advent International and payments giant Stripe reportedly ended its pursuit of the digital payments company....

Nvidia Pauses AI Cloud Financing Deals Amid Antitrust Concerns

Nvidia has temporarily halted some deals tied to a recently introduced financing program for artificial intelligence cloud companies, amid internal concerns that the arrangement could attract greater antitrust scrutiny,...

Google Changes EU Spam Policy Amid Antitrust Scrutiny

Google has revised its spam policy in Europe after concerns from European Union regulators raised the possibility of a significant antitrust fine for Alphabet, the search giants parent company. The company said Friday that...

U.S. Probes Apex Logistics Over Nvidia AI Chip Shipments to China

The U.S. government is investigating Singapore-based Apex Logistics over allegations that the freight company helped transport Nvidia AI chips and computer systems to China despite U.S. export restrictions, Bloomberg...