Andrew Parker (an Emeritus Professor of Neuroscience from DPAG) has been awarded the title of “Senior Professor” by the Otto-von-Guericke University in Magdeburg Germany. The title recognizes his research contribution to the university, as a member of the Institute of Biology in the Laboratory of Sensory Physiology, led by Professor Kristine Krug who is a Visiting Professor at Oxford. Andrew will continue to lead projects supported by external funding from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and supervise graduate students in Magdeburg.
Andrew’s work is in the field of visual neuroscience, where he has particularly specialized in the physiological mechanisms of the perception of 3-D depth and shape. His approach ranges from recording of neurons in the visual cortex of animals through to translational studies of visual losses in humans using magnetic resonance imaging of brain activation and chemistry.
Current projects in Magdeburg will examine the integration of multiple sources of information about depth and shape using large scale populations of simultaneously recorded cortical neurons. There is also an increasing interest in the role of the pulvinar nuclei in visual processing as these nuclei appear especially enlarged in the primate brain.
Andrew’s other work is building on his research links with Shanghai, PRC, which were especially supported during his tenure of a Presidential Research Fellowship from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Andrew will also continue his collaborations within Oxford, especially with the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (NDCN).