Dr. Hannah Smithson

Professor

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Biography

Hannah Smithson is a Professor of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford's Medical Sciences Division. Her research focuses on the neural mechanisms that underlie perception, with a particular interest in how the eye and brain process visual information. Smithson employs psychophysical experiments to infer the perceptual processes that dictate human performance on tasks involving carefully selected visual stimuli. Her work explores intriguing questions related to color perception, including how the brain interprets signals from various classes of cone photoreceptors to create our experiences of hue, saturation, and brightness. She is also fascinated by the way visual systems manage rapid changes in visual events, such as variations in illumination and the dynamics of moving objects. Current projects involve developing adaptive optics-enabled ophthalmoscopes to capture high-fidelity images of the retina and present visual stimuli that target specific elements of retinal microstructure, thereby linking stimulation and neural activity to perceptual experience. Smithson is involved in advanced research degrees in psychology and neuroscience, contributing significantly to the understanding of vision science.

Research Interests

Experience

Tutorial Fellow

2020-01-01 — Present

Pembroke College • Oxford

Tutorial Fellowship in Experimental Psychology, involved in teaching and supervising students while conducting research in vision science.

Requirements for University of Oxford

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.7
IELTS
Listening
Required:7
Reading
Required:7
Writing
Required:7
Speaking
Required:7
Overall
Required:7.5
TOEFL
Listening
Required:22
Reading
Required:24
Writing
Required:24
Speaking
Required:25
Total
Required:110
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in Politics, International Relations, Economics, History, Law, Philosophy or Sociology
Application Checklist
  • Three academic references
  • Official transcripts
  • CV/Resume
  • Statement of Purpose (1,000 words)
  • Two academic essays (2,000 words each)
Specialization Notes

Department of Politics and International Relations - Higher Level English requirement.