Professor Frans Verstraten (MSc Radboud Univeristy Nijmegen 1990, PhD Utrecht University 1994) is the current McCaughey Chair of Psychology at the University of Sydney. He was the Head of School for 10 years 2013-2022). For 5 years, he was a board member of the Vision Sciences Society, world’s largest association for vision scientists (2010 till 2015), and was elected President from 2013 to 2014. He has also served on several editorial boards and is currently one of the chief editors of the Journals Perception and i-Perception.

Before he joined The University of Sydney he was a professor of Experimental Psychology, Department Head, and Scientific Director of the Helmholtz Institute at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

Research interests

Professor Verstraten is currently interested in the processes underlying perception when observers are moving. The experiments take place in movement simulators and virtual reality environments. His team members measure psychophysical performance as well as neurophysiological performance indicators.

Verstraten’s group investigates functional as well as it neurobiological foundations of perception with a special interest in motion perception, recalibration & adaptation to fast changing environments, attention & search, binocular vision, binocular rivalry, and eyemovements.

Other interests include applied cognition and cognitive ergonomics (aka Human Factors), in particular visual problem solving, traffic behaviour, wayfinding, and sensory aspects of marketing communication and consumer behaviour.

A new line of research focusses on the use of advanced technology in clinical assessment and support. Virtual Reality and psychophyical approaches play a big role in this endeavour. While the technology can be used widely, the focus is on addiction and in particular neurodiversity.

Verstraten’s research aligns with the Faculty of Science Research Strengths – Brain, Behaviour and Cognition, Preventing and Treating Disease & Disorder.