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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

Japan Real Wages Rise 1.5%, Supporting BOJ Rate Hikes

Japans inflation-adjusted wages increased for an eighth consecutive month in August, signaling continued improvement in household purchasing power and strengthening expectations that the Bank of Japan could pursue further...

Iran Tanker Attacks Surge as Hormuz Oil Flows Near Prewar Levels

Iran has intensified attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz even as oil shipments through the crucial waterway recover toward levels seen before the war, raising fresh concerns over Middle East energy security. UK...

Oil Prices Rise as Hormuz Attacks Fuel Supply Fears

Oil prices reversed earlier losses on Tuesday as escalating security risks in the Strait of Hormuz and Yemen outweighed improving Middle East crude exports and plans by Group of Seven nations to release emergency reserves....

S&P 500 Hits Record High as AI Rally Lifts Wall Street

Wall Street advanced on Tuesday, pushing the SP 500 and Nasdaq Composite to record closing highs as enthusiasm over artificial intelligence, easing Treasury yields and relatively subdued oil prices supported investor...

Gold Prices Rise as Dollar Weakens, Treasury Yields Ease

Gold prices edged higher on Tuesday as a weaker U.S. dollar and easing Treasury yields provided support, although rising oil prices limited bullions advance. Spot gold climbed 0.6% to settle at $4,163.97 per ounce, while...

Politics

Rapidus Seeks Chip Customers as Japan Pushes 2nm Semiconductor Revival

Japans Rapidus is expanding partnerships with global chip design companies as the state-backed semiconductor manufacturer races to secure customers for its planned 2-nanometre production facility. Backed by roughly $15...

Vance Demands Iran Cut Nuclear Enrichment to End War

US Vice President JD Vance said Iran must significantly reduce its nuclear enrichment capacity before Washington will agree to end the seven-month US-Iran war, stressing that concrete action rather than diplomatic...

North Korea Slams US Taiwan Arms Sales, Reaffirms Russia Support

North Korea has criticized the United States for supplying weapons and military support to Taiwan, accusing Washington of increasing tensions across the Taiwan Strait as Pyongyang also reaffirmed its backing for Russia. In...

Zelenskiy Warns Russia Is Preparing Massive Attack on Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned on Tuesday that Russia is preparing a potentially massive attack on Ukraine, citing the latest intelligence gathered by Ukrainian authorities. In his nightly video address,...

Lula Weighs Alckmin as Finance Minister to Boost Fiscal Credibility

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is considering appointing Vice President Geraldo Alckmin as finance minister if he wins re-election, a move aimed at strengthening his fiscal credentials ahead of Brazils...

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

SpaceX Seeks $40 Billion for Nvidia AI Chips

SpaceX is seeking to raise about $40 billion to finance a major purchase of Nvidia artificial intelligence chips, with Apollo Global Management expected to lead the fundraising effort, the Financial Times reported Tuesday....

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon Warns Mythos AI Raises Cyber Risk Tenfold

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has warned that advanced artificial intelligence systems are dramatically increasing cybersecurity risks for global banks, calling cyberattacks the financial giants biggest threat. Speaking...

Anthropic Expands Claude Access for Cyber Defense Teams

Anthropic has expanded access to its most advanced artificial intelligence models for verified cybersecurity professionals and select government partners, aiming to strengthen defenses against threats targeting critical...

Marvell Stock Surges on $90 Billion AI Revenue Outlook

Marvell Technology shares surged on Tuesday after the semiconductor company unveiled ambitious long-term financial targets driven by rapidly expanding demand for artificial intelligence and data center infrastructure....

Zcash Prepares for NU7 Upgrade as Zebra Gets Key Security Fixes

The Zcash network is moving closer to its NU7 upgrade following a series of Zebra releases focused on security, performance and network stability. According to an engineering update from the official Zcash Foundation X...