Professor Ute Leonards
Dipl.Biol., Dr rer nat (Mainz)
Current positions
Professor of Neuropsychology
School of Psychological Science
Contact
Press and media
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Research interests
My work falls into two areas: cognitive neurosciences and humanoid robotics. What unifies my work is its focus on human vision. Why vision? Because what we see guides our movements, shapes our experiences and thoughts, influences how we interact with others, and ultimately defines who we are. Who we are defines what we see and how we see it.
I have a long history of working with neurologists, neuropsychologists, psychiatrists and roboticists to explore the mechanisms underlying visual perception, action and interaction in the context of a person’s individual characteristics and the environment they live in.
More recently, and my main research area, I have been collaborating closely with colleagues in biomechanics, computer vision, civil engineering and humanities to understand how patterns in the visual environment impact our movements, health and wellbeing.
Links within Bristol- BRACE Charity
- Bristol Neuroscience
- Bristol Health Partners and Health Integration Teams
- Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL)
- Bristol Vision Institute(BVI)
- Cabot Institute
- Steve Maslin, Schumacher Institute
- UKCRIC
- Professor Hiroshi Ashida (Kyoto University, Japan)
- Professor Todd Handy (University of British Columbia, Canada)
- Professor Klaus Oberauer (University of Zurich, Switzerland)
- Dr Alex Shepherd (Birkbeck, UK)
- Professor Arnold Wilkins (University of Essex, UK)
- Professor Johannes Zanker (Royal Holloway University of London, UK)
- Professor Daniele Zavagno (Università di Milano-Bicocca, Italy)
Projects and supervisions
Research projects
Revolutionising Museum Experiences for the Digital Age
Role
Co-Investigator
Description
One of the greatest advancements of the current AI revolution is the individualisation of content: not only will searching algorithms offer more self-relevant content to users, but generative methods will…Managing organisational unit
Bristol Veterinary SchoolDates
01/08/2023 to 31/07/2024
Towards creating inclusive performance spaces - introducing haptics in performance art to dismantle ableist barriers
Role
Co-Principal Investigator
Description
The aim is to explore how haptic technology can minimise ableist barriers to inclusivity in performance spaces by investigating disability through different lenses and models (including social, medical and cultural).…Managing organisational unit
School of Psychological ScienceDates
02/05/2022 to 30/06/2022
Towards tRanslational Inclusive Art & Design, Co-designed by Science, designers and the General Public, Used by Designers
Principal Investigator
Description
A joint ESRC-EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account grant and a Temple Quarter Public Engagement grant have been awarded for the development of a new digital technology-based tool informed by the latest…Managing organisational unit
School of Psychological ScienceDates
01/02/2022 to 31/12/2022
Creating a Personalised Museum Experience with Deep Learning
Principal Investigator
Role
Co-Investigator
Description
Individual preferences for Art, like beauty, are thought to be in the eye of the beholder. But can science find away to identify what we really appreciate in paintings? Delving…Managing organisational unit
Dates
17/06/2019 to 31/01/2020
VR and dance-somatic practices as tools for embodied perception and living well in our environment
Principal Investigator
Role
Co-Investigator
Description
An environment impacts directly on the health and wellbeing of the people who move within it, and also the way in which they move and interact. Environments are perceived through…Managing organisational unit
Department of TheatreDates
25/02/2019 to 19/07/2019
Thesis supervisions
Estimation and prediction of human behaviour using multi-modal physiological measurements and data-driven methods in human robot/vehicle interaction
Supervisors
Isolating the factors underlying cognitive demands of visual environments
Supervisors
Robots in Need: What can they do to get our help?
Supervisors
The impact of visual floor patterns on human locomotion
Supervisors
Publications
Selected publications
11/05/2024"I Don’t Really Get Involved In That Way"
CHI '24
The effect of image fractal properties and its interaction with visual discomfort on gait kinematics
Scientific Reports
Urban design and visual plausibility – When vision leads the body astray.
A Sense of Plausibility in Vision and Music Perception
Cognitive Control for Decision and Human-Robot Collaboration
Cognitive Robotics
Recent publications
16/01/2025"You Can Fool Me, You Can’t Fool Her!"
CHI ’25
"Put Your Hands Up"
Rethinking the nature vs. urban environment dichotomy
Journal of Environmental Psychology
"I Don’t Really Get Involved In That Way"
CHI '24
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