Dr Fraser Smith is an Associate Professor in the School of Psychology at UEA. He completed a B.Sc. Degree in Psychology at the University of Glasgow, and a PhD in Psychology at the University of Stirling. He was an MRC and ERC funded post-doctoral researcher for several years at the University of Glasgow (Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging). He was also awarded a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in Computational Neuroscience at the University of Western Ontario (Brain & Mind Institute), London, Canada. His main research focus is the cognitive neuroscience of perception, including investigating Predictive Processing accounts of sensory perception and the perception of emotion. He mainly uses neuroimaging (fMRI & EEG), machine learning (brain decoding / multivariate pattern analysis) and behavioural methods in his research.

Indicative Publications

Bailey KM, Giordano BL, Kaas A & Smith FW (2023). Decoding sounds depicting hand-object interactions in primary somatosensory cortex. Cerebral Cortex https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhac296

Smith, F.W. & Smith M.L.S. (2019). Decoding the dynamic representation of facial expressions of emotion in explicit and incidental tasks. Neuroimage, 195, 261-271.

Smith, F.W. & Goodale, M.A. (2015). Decoding visual object categories in early somatosensory cortex. Cerebral Cortex, 25, 1020-1031.

Vetter, P., Smith, F.W., & Muckli, L. (2014). Decoding sound and imagery content in early visual cortex. Current Biology, 24 (11), 1256-1262.

Smith, F.W. & Muckli, L. (2010) Non-Stimulated early visual areas carry information about surrounding context. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 107 (46), 20099-20103.

Smith F.W. & Schyns P.G. (2009). Smile through your Fear and Sadness: Transmitting and Identifying Facial Expression Signals over a range of Viewing Distances. Psychological Science, 20 (10), 1202-1208.

For more information about Fraser Smith's research, please visit https://frasersmithresearch.wordpress.com/

My research is concerned with how the human brain accomplishes our rich perception of the world; how our prior experience influences ongoing sensory processing (Predictive Processing) and the brain basis of emotion perception. I use behavioural and neuroimaging methods (particularly fMRI, and more recently EEG) to investigate these topics.

Please email Fraser if you are interested in studying for a PhD or in gaining research experience. We have both paid internships and volunteering opportunities available for undergraduate students.

Masters – Module Leader Cognitive Neuroscience Module

Masters - Dissertation Supervisor

I supervise MSc students using both neuroimaging (fMRI and EEG) and behavioural methods related to my main research interests noted above.

Year 3 – Undergraduate Research Project

UG Research Projects – I am interested in supervising projects related to how predictive processing may be altered in particular neurodevelopmental and mental health conditions and their corresponding traits in neurotypical indviduals (psychosis, psychopathy, ASD). I am also very interested in supervising projects related to all aspects of emotion perception including how recognition changes as a function of environmental constraints (e.g. interpersonal distance) and how it is altered in various psychopathologies.

For a sample of previous research project titles see (https://frasersmithresearch.com/people-and-projects/)

And scroll down to Undergraduate Dissertation Titles

Student Advising and Consultation Hours: Mondays: 3-4pm.

Director of Cognitive Neuroscience Masters

Cognitive Neuroscience, Sensory Processing & Perception, Functional Brain Imaging (fMRI), Machine Learning / Brain Decoding