Kate Jeffery
Kate Jeffery | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | University of Otago, University of Edinburgh |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University College London |
| Academic advisors | John O'Keefe |
Kathryn (Kate) Jane Jeffery is a neuroscientist from New Zealand. She is a Professor of Neuroscience at University College London. She studies how the brain encodes space and its role in navigation.
Early life and career
Jeffery graduated with a degree of MB ChB from the University of Otago in 1985.[1] After working as a house officer, she returned to the University of Otago to complete a master's degree in 1989 under the supervision of Cliff Abraham.[1][2] She completed her PhD at the University of Edinburgh in 1993 under the supervision of Richard Morris.[1][2][3] During this time she worked in the same lab as May-Britt Moser and Edvard Moser.[4] She went on to work as a postdoctoral researcher with John O'Keefe at University College London.[1][4]
Jeffery stayed at University College London to become a lecturer and later a professor.[1] Here, she founded the Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, of which she was also director.[1][5]
Research
Jeffery is particularly interested in the representation of 3D space in our brain.[6][7] Her lab reported in 2011 that place cells and grid cells, special types of cells in the brain that are important for navigation, predominantly represent 3D space as a horizontal plane.[6][8] However, a later study from her lab showed that place cells can indeed represent 3D place.[9]
Jeffery also studies head direction cells, cells in the brain that represent the direction an animal is facing.[10][7][11]
Science and art
Jeffery has been involved in a number of projects linking neuroscience and art. She collaborated on the piece 'Spin Glass' with Jenny Walsh and Jeremy Keenan, which represents the head direction network in the brain of an animal.[12][13] She consulted on the Broadway play 'The Nature of Forgetting', about how the brain represents memory.[14][15][16]
Jeffery is also interested in the link between architecture and the representation of location in the brain. She presented at the Conscious Cities conferences on how the design of environments affects the sense of direction.[17]
Honours
Jeffery is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology and Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation.[18] She is also a Vice-President for the Royal Institute of Navigation.[1][18]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Office, FENS. "Kate Jeffery". FENS.org. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
- ^ a b katejeffery (2012-11-21). "About me". Corticalia. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
- ^ "67 | Kate Jeffery on Entropy, Complexity, and Evolution – Sean Carroll". www.preposterousuniverse.com. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
- ^ a b Woolston, Chris. "Nobel forecasting brings fun to online discussions". Nature News. doi:10.1038/nature.2014.16135.
- ^ "Cognitive neuroscience and architecture". The Centre for Conscious Design. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
- ^ a b Welsh 2011-08-08T18:52:02Z, Jennifer. "Brain Finding May Explain Disoriented Pilots, Astronauts". livescience.com. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b "Kate Jeffery – Knowledge Quarter". Retrieved 2020-02-01.
- ^ Daily (2011-08-09). "Why our brain's sense of space and location struggles to map altitude". Mail Online. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
- ^ massivesci.com https://massivesci.com/articles/3d-world-place-cells-mouse-brains-neuroscience/. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Webb, Jonathan (2015-05-13). "Donut-shaped 'compass' in fly brain". BBC News. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
- ^ "A Map to Attach Memories to". Losing Myself. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
- ^ "2018 – Art of Neuroscience". Retrieved 2020-02-01.
- ^ Simon, Johnny. "These beautiful works of art illustrate the brain's complexity". Quartz. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
- ^ Desk, BWW News. "London's Theatre Re Explores Dementia Through Physical Theater In THE NATURE OF FORGETTING". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
- ^ "The Nature of Forgetting in UK tour". Entertainment Focus. 2018-03-06. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
- ^ Lee, Jenny (2018-05-17). "The art of forgetting: Show explores memory, dementia and importance of the here and now". The Irish News. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
- ^ Bond, Michael. "The hidden ways that architecture affects how you feel". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
- ^ a b "UCL Minds Lunch Hour Lecture: The psychology of climate inaction - London | Events | The British Neuroscience Association". www.bna.org.uk. Retrieved 2020-02-01.