Dr Jennifer Bizley, Principle Investigator
Jenny set up her lab at UCL Ear Institute in 2011, as a UCL Excellence Fellow. She now holds a Sir Henry Dale Research fellow and is a Reader in Auditory Neuroscience. Previously she was a PhD student at the University of Oxford, working with Profs Andy King and Jan Schnupp, where she was also a post-doc and Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellow. Her main interest is in how the brain makes sense of the barrage of sensory information available to it. Her research focus is on the neural mechanisms of listening in noisy and complex - yet everyday - listening conditions. This includes understanding how visual information and attention enable us to listen effectively. While much of our work is centred on understanding auditory cortex we consider a number of other cortical areas including frontal and parietal cortex.
Jenny set up her lab at UCL Ear Institute in 2011, as a UCL Excellence Fellow. She now holds a Sir Henry Dale Research fellow and is a Reader in Auditory Neuroscience. Previously she was a PhD student at the University of Oxford, working with Profs Andy King and Jan Schnupp, where she was also a post-doc and Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellow. Her main interest is in how the brain makes sense of the barrage of sensory information available to it. Her research focus is on the neural mechanisms of listening in noisy and complex - yet everyday - listening conditions. This includes understanding how visual information and attention enable us to listen effectively. While much of our work is centred on understanding auditory cortex we consider a number of other cortical areas including frontal and parietal cortex.
Dr Stephen Town, Senior Research Associate
Stephen's current research project explores the neural circuits that allow us to flexibly switch between sensory modalities. His ongoing projects involve exploring spatial co-ordinate frames in auditory cortex, and perceptual invariance.
Stephen's current research project explores the neural circuits that allow us to flexibly switch between sensory modalities. His ongoing projects involve exploring spatial co-ordinate frames in auditory cortex, and perceptual invariance.
Dr Joseph Sollini, Post-doctoral researcher
Joe is looking at how selective attention shapes neural responses in auditory cortex; specifically in a 'cocktail party' like task where listeners have to attend to one of two competing auditory streams. He is investigating how the effect of selective attention influences spiking and local field potential activity and how the encoding of attended speech changes from primary to secondary cortical areas.
Joe is looking at how selective attention shapes neural responses in auditory cortex; specifically in a 'cocktail party' like task where listeners have to attend to one of two competing auditory streams. He is investigating how the effect of selective attention influences spiking and local field potential activity and how the encoding of attended speech changes from primary to secondary cortical areas.
Soraya Dunn, PhD student
Soraya is co-supervised by Dr Daniel Bendor at the IBN, UCL. Her work is exploring the role of theta oscillations in the hippocampus of the ferret. Most of our understanding of the hippocampus, an area essential for spatial navigation, comes from rodents who sense the environment through whisking and sniffing. Ferrets, like humans, rely predominantly on hearing and vision, and therefore make an interesting comparison species .
Soraya is co-supervised by Dr Daniel Bendor at the IBN, UCL. Her work is exploring the role of theta oscillations in the hippocampus of the ferret. Most of our understanding of the hippocampus, an area essential for spatial navigation, comes from rodents who sense the environment through whisking and sniffing. Ferrets, like humans, rely predominantly on hearing and vision, and therefore make an interesting comparison species .
Bhavisha Parmar, PhD student.
Bhavisha is co-supervised by Dr Debi Vickers and funded by the BRC. She is a qualified audiologist and spent 2017 as a sound seekers volunteer, establishing paediatric audiology services in Zambia. Her research project is to develop a spatial hearing test that mimics real-world listening in order to better assess hearing aid and cochlear implant fits.
Bhavisha is co-supervised by Dr Debi Vickers and funded by the BRC. She is a qualified audiologist and spent 2017 as a sound seekers volunteer, establishing paediatric audiology services in Zambia. Her research project is to develop a spatial hearing test that mimics real-world listening in order to better assess hearing aid and cochlear implant fits.
Kat Poole, MSc Neuroscience project student
Kat is exploring the role of temporal coherence in co-modulation masking release and looking for neural correlates of this behaviour in auditory cortex.
Shriya Banerji, MSc Neuroscience project student
Shriya is exploring how sequences of auditory and visual signals are integrated, and how spatial disparity influences this process. She is testing human observers and looking for neural correlates of multisensory integration in auditory cortex.
Mana Ahnood, Advanced Audiology MSc student
Mana is helping to develop a new clinical test for assessing spatial listening abilities in cochlear implant users.
Kat is exploring the role of temporal coherence in co-modulation masking release and looking for neural correlates of this behaviour in auditory cortex.
Shriya Banerji, MSc Neuroscience project student
Shriya is exploring how sequences of auditory and visual signals are integrated, and how spatial disparity influences this process. She is testing human observers and looking for neural correlates of multisensory integration in auditory cortex.
Mana Ahnood, Advanced Audiology MSc student
Mana is helping to develop a new clinical test for assessing spatial listening abilities in cochlear implant users.