I am interested in perceptual-motor coordination and skill development, with a specific focus on auditory-motor coordination. My research includes questions of how people time movements to auditory events, such as synchronising with a beat, walking to rhythmic sounds (particularly as an aid for gait in Parkinson's disease), or catching a moving object without vision. I am interested in how sensory feedback like ‘movement sonification’ (using motion capture data to trigger sounds in real-time) can be used to enhance learning of motor skills. This involves research into both fundamental questions of perceptual-motor learning, and also applications to help people learn new skills, or overcome other movement challenges. I also research skill acquisition in music performance, including understanding how sound-movement coupling emerges through musical training, techniques to enhance musical skill development, and understanding skilful adaptability in the context of music improvisation and digital creative technologies. Across all these topics, I want to understand how perceptual information can guide skilful action, as well as the implications for understanding the embodied mind.

I have extensive experience in using various forms of motion capture technology, as well as sound synthesis techniques, for investigating some of the above research topics.

Current PhD students:

• Conor Loughran - "Walking in Real-World Environments for people living with Parkinson’s: enhancing Gait using Movement Analysis"

Former PhD students:

• Bonnie Smith - "Psychology of learning and playing new digital musical instruments"
• Michal Toth - "Mapping design of movement sonification to enhance motor skill acquisition"
• Yifan Shi (co-supervisor) - "The Impact of Teaching Interventions on Music Students' Music Performance Anxiety Experience"
• Rober Acheson (co-supervisor) - "Adapting Soundtracks for Listeners with Hearing Loss"
• Yang Yang (co-supervisor) - "The Role of Musical Importance Anxiety in Conservatory Students' Performance in China"
• James Stafford - "Ageing and perceptual-based decision-making in traffic environments"
• Alannah Savage - "Investigating motor skills of visually impaired young people and the use of sound to guide movements"
• John Dyer - "Human Movement Sonification for Motor Skill Learning"
• Anna Carapellotti (co-supervisor) - "From effects to affect: The multidimensional impact of dancing with Parkinson’s"
• Zara Gibson (co-supervisor) - "The Psychology of Music Preference: How People Differ in Their Use and Enjoyment of Music"
• Lilian Simones (co-supervisor) - "The Roles of Gesture in Piano Teaching and Learning"
• Gerard Breaden-Madden (co-supervisor) - "The Psychology of Music Preference: How People Differ in Their Use and Enjoyment of Music"

My primary teaching areas are:

- Conceptual and historical issues in psychology

- Research methods and analysis

- Psychology of music

I have also previously taught at UG and PGT level the following topics: motor control and learning; psychological dynamics in sport and health;