Professor Markus Bindemann

Professor of Psychology,
Programme Director Cognitive Psychology/Neuropsychology MSc
Telephone
+44 (0)1227 823087
Professor Markus Bindemann

About

Professor Markus Bindemann obtained a BSc in Psychology from the University of Stirling in 2001, followed by a PhD at the University of Glasgow in 2004. After several postdoctoral positions, he joined the School of Psychology at the University of Kent in January 2010. 

Markus has specific expertise in face and person perception and has published extensively in international journals of psychology. He has also edited special issues on face perception for Applied Cognitive Psychology (2013, Vol 27, Issue 6; with Bob Johnston), Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (2017, Vol 70, Issue 5; with Bob Johnston), and Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications (2018, ; with Vicki Bruce and Karen Lander). His 2017 book Face Processing: Systems, Disorders and Cultural Differences (with Ahmed Megreya) featured contributions from scientists around the world and was nominated for the Ursula Gielen Global Psychology Book Award. 

He currently serves as Associate Editor for the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology and on the editorial board of the Journal of Cognitive Psychology

Research interests

Professor Bindemann's research focuses on visual perception problems in Cognitive Psychology, such as forensic face matching, eyewitness identification, and person detection in natural scenes. In collaboration with colleagues from other fields, he also researches the potential of pupillary response for the measurement of deviant sexual interest, and species identification in biodiversity conservation. His research features cutting-edge techniques such as eye-tracking, remote-controlled drones, and virtual reality.

Key publications

  • Lander, K., Bruce, V., & Bindemann, M. (2018). Use-inspired basic research on individual differences in face identification: Implications for criminal investigation and security. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 3:26, 1-13.doi:10.1186/s41235-018-0115-
  • Fysh, M.C., & Bindemann, M. (2018). The Kent Face Matching Test. British Journal of Psychology, 109, 219-231.doi:10.1111/bjop.12260
  • Bindemann, M., Fysh, M.C., Sage, S., Douglas, K., & Tummon, H. (2017). Person identification from aerial footage by a remote-controlled drone. Scientific Reports, 7, 13629:1-10doi:10.1038/s41598-017-14026-3
  • Attard-Johnson, J., & Bindemann, M. (2017). Sex-specific but not sexually explicit: Pupillary responses to portraits of nude and dressed adults. Royal Society Open Science, 4:160963. doi:10.1098/rsos.160963

The Kent Face Matching Test

Markus also developed the Kent Face Matching Test (KFMT), which is available as a research tool for researchers to download at https://www.kent.ac.uk/school-of-psychology/kentfacematch/index.html

Its corresponding paper can be found at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/bjop.12260

Teaching

Convenor and Lecturer

  • Facial Identity Matching: Cognitive Research and Forensic Practice

Lecturer

  • Forensic Cognition: Theory, Research and Practice

Supervision

Markus has an extensive record of successful PhD supervision. His past and current students, for whom he was or is the primary supervisor in Psychology, are listed below.

He welcomes enquiries about studying for a PhD under his supervision from exceptional students whose research interests relate to his own.

Past research students

  • Hamood Alenezi (Saudi Arabia Government Scholarship, 2011-2014)
  • Andrew Russ (Kent GTA Scholarship, 2011-2015)
  • Alejandro Estudillo (Kent GTA Scholarship, 2012-2015)
  • Kaewmart Pongakkasira, (Thai Royal Government Scholarship, 2012-2015)
  • Janice Attard (Kent GTA Scholarship, 2013-2016)
  • Gail Austen (Kent 50th Anniversary Scholarship, 2013-2017)
  • Matt Fysh (Kent GTA Scholarship, 2014-2017)
  • Emma Garcia (Kent GTA Scholarship, 2015-2018)
  • Natalie Gentry (ESRC South East DTC funding, 2015-2019)
  • Hannah Tummon (ESRC South East DTC funding, 2016-2019)

Current research students

  • Jacky Claydon (Kent GTA Scholarship, 2019-present)
  • Leia Brasnell (ESRC SeNSS 1+3 funding, 2019-present)
  • Alice Nevard (Kent GTA Scholarship, 2020-present)  

Professional

Grants and awards

2019-22Leverhulme Trust Research Grant
‘Face detection by humans’. With Rob Jenkins, University of York, UK.
£248,611
2019-22ESRC Research Grant
'Person identification at passport control within realistic context'. With Mike Burton and Cade McCall, University of York, UK.
£503,503
2018-19British Academy Visiting Fellowship
'The construct validity of forensic face-matching ability'. With Andrea Hildebrandt, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt Universitaet, Germany.
£25,827
2017University of Guelph-Humber Research Grant Fund 
'Critical examination of configural processing in familiar face recognition'. With Adam Sandford, University of Guelph-Humber, Canada.
$6,507 (Canadian)
2016-17British Academy UK's International Challenges Grant
'Does Brexit trigger racism? An experiment among British and European residents in the UK'. With Fernanda Lopez, University of Kent.
£15,637
2016-17Faculty Research Fund, University of Kent
'Avoidance of eye-contact in social anxiety: An eye-tracking study'. With Lydia Kearney, University of Kent.
£2,475
2016-17Faculty Research Fund, University of Kent
'The eyes have it: Pupillary response as a measure of self-identification for forensic settings'. With Amir-Homayoun Javadi, University of Kent.
£4,182
2013Faculty Internationalisation Fund, University of Kent
UG and PG recruitment in Norway.
£2,390
2013Research Seed Fund, University of Kent
'The Kent Face Matching Test'.
£1,000
2012National Organisation for the Treatment of Abusers (NOTA) Research Grant
'Comparing multiple indirect measures of sexual interest with an implicit but direct eye-tracking and pupil dilation paradigm'. With Caolite Ó Ciardha, University of Kent.
£5,000
2011Faculty Small Grant, University of Kent
'Recognising different photo-ID cards of the same person'.
£1,000
2009Research Promotion Fund, University of Essex
'Individual variation and observer consistency in unfamiliar face identification'.
£4,500
2009Knowledge Transfer Innovation Fund, University of Essex
'Establishing Café Scientifique'.
£3,037
2007-09ESRC research grant
'Human face detection in natural scenes'. With Mike Burton, University of Glasgow, UK.
£152,571
2007Wellcome Trust Value in People (VIP) Award
'Controlling attention to faces'.
£18,245
2001ESRC Postgraduate Studentship
'The role of attention in face processing'. University of Glasgow, UK.
£33,415
Scholarship/Internship 
2016-19ESRC +3 Studentship, Hannah Tummon.£56,185
2015-18ESRC +3 Studentship, Natalie Gentry.£55,274
2012EPS Undergraduate Research Bursary 
'Gaze-contingent elimination of attention biases in smokers'. With Julien LeBlond.
£2,000
2012BPS Undergraduate Research Assistantship
'Can a gaze-contingent eye-tracking paradigm reverse undesirable attention biases in smokers?'. With Julien LeBlond.
£1,600
2011-15Thai Royal Government 1+3 Studentship, Kaewmart Pongakkasira.£102,094
2010-14Saudi Arabia Government 1+3 Studentship, Hamood Alenezi.£100,996
2010EPS Undergraduate Research Bursary
'Examining the two-perpetrator disadvantage in eyewitness identification'. With Katherine Gillatt.
£2,000
2008EPS Undergraduate Research Bursary
'Interactions of eye-gaze and facial expression'. With Nicola Forsberg.
£1,600

Professional memberships

  • British Psychological Society (BPS)
  • BPS - Cognitive Section
  • Experimental Psychology Society (EPS)
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