Professor Dr. Alex Holcombe

Professor

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Biography

Alex Holcombe investigates how the mind connects the world using perception experiments designed to isolate information bottlenecks in the brain. His research involves meta-science, studying the effectiveness and efficiency of scientific research. He is a co-creator of Tenzing, a web app that helps researchers indicate scholarly publications. Holcombe served on the founding advisory board of PLOS, the world's largest open-access journal, and has similar capacities in several other initiatives. He is an associate editor for Wikimedia Foundation's WikiJournal of Science and the open-access journal Collabra: Psychology, published by the University of California Press. Holcombe received his PhD in Psychology from Harvard University and a BA in Psychology and Cognitive Science from the University of Virginia. His research includes behavioral experiments focused on visual information processing, the effects of naps on learning, and the impacts of brain damage on rapid letter processing. Currently, he is interested in the architecture of the mind and how it affects representations of the past, present, and future, aligning with the Faculty of Science Research Strengths.

Research Interests

Perception Attention Cognition Meta-Science Visual Cognition

Experience

Professor

2023-01-01 — Present

University of Sydney • Sydney, NSW, Australia

Leading research in perception and cognition, focusing on how visual information is processed in the brain.

Requirements for University of Sydney

Doctorate Program

Requirements

GPA Requirement
Required:3.3
IELTS
Listening
Required:6
Reading
Required:6
Writing
Required:6
Speaking
Required:6
Overall
Required:6.5
TOEFL
Listening
Required:17
Reading
Required:17
Writing
Required:19
Speaking
Required:17
Total
Required:85
PTE
Listening
Required:54
Reading
Required:54
Writing
Required:54
Speaking
Required:54
Overall
Required:61

Prerequisites

A master's degree with a research component or a bachelor's degree with first or second-class honours. Demonstrated research experience and capability.

Application Checklist

  • Academic transcripts
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • Research proposal (1000+ words)
  • Two academic referee reports
  • Evidence of residency status
  • Written statement of support from potential supervisor

Specialization Notes

This entry applies to Faculty of Science PhD programs including Departments such as Life and Environmental Sciences, Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics and Statistics.