News

To celebrate Disabilty History Month we introduce one of our PhD students: Daniel Gill.

"I am a PhD Student primarily based in the Cognitive Science Research Group within the School of Electronical Engineering and Computer Science, though I am also associated with the Centre for Brain and Behaviour.

My own research spans a few areas, specifically robotics, psychology, and human-computer interaction. Through a robotic interface, I am investigating how adults perceive, process, and combine different sensory inputs to create a motor output. I'm doing this specifically with autistic individuals whose sensory experiences and processing may be different in various ways.
For example, when humans perceive the world, they do so by predicting what they expect to sense next based on what they've just sensed, and their own knowledge of how the world operates. In autistic people, it is theorised that they rely less on their prior knowledge of how the world works, but more on their current sensory information (see Predictive Coding in Autism) - this might mean that autistic people are more "in the moment" which could impact task performance in specific ways which we aim to test.

I'm also autistic myself, meaning this research and work is very close to my heart, and drives me to work with neurodivergent people and other stakeholders to ensure that the aims of this research are in line with the desires of this population. As part of this goal, I co-run a network called MINDS (Mutual Inclusion through Neurodiversity in Science) which aims to bring together neurodivergent people, researchers, and neurodivergent researchers to discuss how we can include neurodivergent voices in research. I also try and share my work with neurodivergent non-academics who wouldn't otherwise see it through public engagement activities, including doing science-themed stand-up comedy, and via blogs/podcasts.
I also support disabled and neurodivergent students here at QM as president of the Society for Neurodivergent and Disabled Students (SANDS).

To celebrate Disability History Month, we're hosting an event to highlight the work and experiences of disabled and neurodivergent PGR students, to which I'd like to extend an invite to anyone reading this (including non-PGRs - everyone is welcome!). More info here."