Background

Introduction

I am interested in the neuronal basis of perception, particularly in stereo "3D" vision in both humans and praying mantises. My work ranges from fundamental science to clinical and industrial applications. Please visit my own website, jennyreadresearch.com. to find out more about my work and download PDFs of my publications.

Roles and Responsibilities

Neuroscience lead on Faculty of Medical Sciences Research Strategy Committee's Impact Working Group

REF coordinator for Unit of Assessment 4

Chair of Psychology human ethics committee.

First aider for Henry Wellcome Building. 

Qualifications

B.A. in Physics (1st class), Oxon.
D.Phil. in Theoretical Astrophysics, Oxon.
M.Sc. in Neuroscience (with distinction), Oxon.
Graduate diploma in Psychology (with distinction), Newcastle. 

Research

Research Interests

My central research interest is binocular vision and the perception of 3D stereo depth. I'm interested in what happens in our brain when images from the two eyes are combined and compared so as to give this depth percept. I construct mathematical models of the neuronal computations which support this process, and carry out detailed measurements of human perceptions in order to test these models and relate them more closely to what is known about brain physiology. I'm increasingly using this expertise to look at how today's new 3D displays can be used so as to improve viewer experience. I'm also interested in how visual perception can be altered in various clinical conditions, for example strabismus (often known as squint in the UK) and epilepsy.

My research has been supported by the Royal Society, the Leverhulme Trust, the Wellcome Trust, Epilepsy Action, the NHS, Department of Health and the Medical Research Council. For much more information on my research, please visit my own website, jennyreadresearch.com .

Current projects

I'm currently leading two major research programmes. "Man, Mantis, and Machine" examines 3D vision in an insect, the praying mantis. Learning more about vision in this simple organism may help us design better 3D vision for robots, and may also help us understand our own more complex abilities. This programme is funded by a Research Leadership Award from the Leverhulme Trust. "ASTEROID", or "Accurate STEReotest On a mobIle Device", aims to develop a new clinical vision test for use in children with binocular vision disorders.

Other projects include: other aspects of insect vision; mathematical models of disparity encoding in primary visual cortex; development of stereo vision; visual surround suppression; depth perception in 3D television and cinema; EEG measures of brain activity during stereopsis. 

Teaching

I am a lecturer on course PSC3008, Physiology of the Nervous System, for students on Biomedical sciences and Physiology degree programmes. I offer research projects for undergraduate and Masters students; details of previous students who have worked on with me are available on my website: undergraduate-students and Masters students.

Publications

• Rosner R, Tarawneh G, Lukyanova V, Read JCA. Binocular responsiveness of projection neurons of the praying mantis optic lobe in the frontal visual field. Journal of Comparative Physiology A 2020, 206, 165-181.
• Serrano-Pedraza I, Vancleef K, Herbert W, Goodship N, Woodhouse M, Read JCA. Efficient estimation of stereo thresholds: What slope should be assumed for the psychometric function?. PLoS ONE 2020, 15(1), e0226822.
• Rosner R, von Hadeln J, Tarawneh G, Read JCA. A neuronal correlate of insect stereopsis. Nature Communications 2019, 10, 2845.
• Vancleef K, Serrano-Pedraza I, Sharp C, Slack G, Black C, Casanova T, Hugill J, Rafiq S, Burridge J, Puyat V, Ewane Enongue J, Gale H, Akotei H, Collier Z, Haggerty H, Smart K, Powell C, Taylor K, Clarke MP, Morgan G, Read JCA. ASTEROID: A New Clinical Stereotest on an Autostereo 3D Tablet. Translational Vision Science and Ophthalmology 2019, 8, 25.
• Read JCA, Rafiq S, Hugill J, Casanova T, Black C, O'Neill A, Puyat V, Haggerty H, Smart K, Powell C, Taylor K, Clarke MP, Vancleef K. Characterizing the Randot Preschool stereotest: Testability, norms, reliability, specificity and sensitivity in children aged 2-11 years. PLoS ONE 2019, 14(11), e0224402.
• Nityananda V, Joubier C, Tan J, Tarawneh G, Read JCA. Motion-in-depth perception and prey capture in the praying mantis Sphodromantis lineola. Journal of Experimental Biology 2019, 222, jeb198614.
• Umeton D, Tarawneh G, Fezza E, Read JCA, Rowe C. Pattern and speed interact to hide moving prey. Current Biology 2019, 29(18), 3109–3113.e3.
• Nityananda V, O'Keeffe J, Umeton D, Simmons A, Read JCA. Second-order cues to figure motion enable object detection during prey capture by praying mantises. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2019, 116(52), 27018-27027.
• Read JCA, Cumming BG. The psychophysics of stereopsis can be explained without invoking independent ON and OFF channels. Journal of Vision 2019, 19(6), 7.
• Read JCA. Visual Perception: Monovision Can Bias the Apparent Depth of Moving Objects. Current Biology 2019, 29(15), R738-R740.
• Nityananda V, Tarawneh G, Henriksen S, Umeton D, Simmons A, Read JCA. A Novel Form of Stereo Vision in the Praying Mantis. Current Biology 2018, 28(4), 588-593.
• Tarawneh G, Jones L, Nityananda V, Rosner R, Rind C, Read JCA. Apparent Motion Perception in the Praying Mantis: Psychophysics and Modelling. Vision 2018, 2(3), 32.
• Tarawneh G, Nityananda V, Rosner R, Errington S, Herbert W, Arranz-Paraiso S, Busby N, Tamping J, Read J, Serrano-Pedraza I. Contrast thresholds reveal different visual masking functions in humans and praying mantises. Biology Open 2018, 7, bio029439.
• Vancleef K, Read JCA, Herbert W, Goodship N, Woodhouse M, Serrano-Pedraza I. Two choices good, four choices better: For measuring stereoacuity in children, a four-alternative forced-choice paradigm is more efficient than two. PLoS One 2018, 13(7), e0201366.
• Ushaw G, Sharp C, Hugill J, Rafiq S, Black C, Casanova T, Vancleef K, Read J, Morgan G. Analysis of Soft Data for Mass Provision of Stereoacuity Testing Through a Serious Game for Health. In: Proceedings of the 2017 International Conference on Digital Health (DH '17). 2017, London: ACM.
• Yazdani P, Read JCA, Whittaker RG, Trevelyan AJ. Assessment of epilepsy using noninvasive visual psychophysics tests of surround suppression. Physiological Reports 2017, 5(5), e13079.
• O'Hanlon CG, Read JCA. Blindness to background: An inbuilt bias for visual objects. Developmental Science 2017, 20(5), e12478.
• Tarawneh G, Nityananda V, Rosner R, Errington S, Herbert W, Cumming BG, Read JCA, Serrano-Pedraza I. Invisible noise obscures visible signal in insect motion detection. Scientific Reports 2017, 7, 3496.
• Vancleef K, Read JCA, Herbert W, Goodship N, Woodhouse M, Serrano-Pedraza I. Overestimation of stereo thresholds by the TNO stereotest is not due to global stereopsis. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics 2017, 37(4), 507-520.
• Nityananda V, Read JCA. Stereopsis in animals: evolution, function and mechanisms. Journal of Experimental Biology 2017, 220(14), 2502-2512.
• Nityananda V, Tarawneh G, Errington S, Serrano-Pedraza I, Read J. The optomotor response of the praying mantis is driven predominantly by the central visual field. Journal of Comparative Physiology A 2017, 203(1), 77-87.
• Peterzell DH, Serrano-Pedraza I, Widdall M, Read JCA. Thresholds for sine-wave corrugations defined by binocular disparity in random dot stereograms: Factor analysis of individual differences reveals two stereoscopic mechanisms tuned for spatial frequency. Vision Research 2017, 141, 127-135.
• Hands P, Read JCA. True stereoscopic 3D cannot be simulated by shifting 2D content off the screen plane. Displays 2017, 48, 35-40.
• Umeton D, Read JCA, Rowe C. Unravelling the illusion of flicker fusion. Biology Letters 2017, 13(2).
• Read JCA, Cumming BG. Visual Perception: Neural Networks for Stereopsis. Current Biology 2017, 27(12), R594-R596.
• Henriksen S, Cumming BG, Read JCA. A Single Mechanism Can Account for Human Perception of Depth in Mixed Correlation Random Dot Stereograms. PLOS Computational Biology 2016, 12(5), e1004906.
• Serrano-Pedraza I, Vancleef K, Read JCA. Avoiding monocular artifacts in clinical stereotests presented on column-interleaved digital stereoscopic displays. Journal of Vision 2016, 16(14), 13.
• Vancleef K, Read J, Herbert W, Goodship N, Woodhouse M, Serrano-Pedraza I. Comparing stereotests: the TNO test overestimates stereoacuity. In: 39th European Conference on Visual Perception (ECVP). 2016, Barcelona, Spain: Sage.
• Nityananda V, Tarawneh G, Rosner R, Nicolas J, Crichton S, Read J. Insect stereopsis demonstrated using a 3D insect cinema. Scientific Reports 2016, 6, 1-9.
• Read J, Nityananda V, Tarawneh G, Rosner R, Jones ML. Natural behaviour with artificial stimuli: probing praying mantis vision. In: 16th Vision Sciences Society Annual Meeting (VSS). 2016, Florida, USA: Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.
• Henriksen S, Read JCA, Cumming BG. Neurons in Striate Cortex Signal Disparity in Half-Matched Random-Dot Stereograms. Journal of Neuroscience 2016, 36(34), 8967-8976.
• Nityananda V, Bissianna G, Tarawneh G, Read J. Small or far away? Size and distance perception in the praying mantis. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 2016, 371(1697), 1-8.
• Hands P, Read JCA. Television viewing distance in British households. In: 2015 International Conference on 3D Imaging, IC3D 2015 - Proceedings. 2016, IEEE.
• Serrano-Pedraza I, Herbert W, Villa-Laso L, Widdall M, Vancleef K, Read JCA. The Stereoscopic Anisotropy Develops During Childhood. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science 2016, 57(3), 960-970.
• Read J, Godfrey A, Bohr I, Simonotto J, Galna B, Smulders T. Viewing 3D TV over two months produces no discernible effects on balance, coordination or eyesight. Ergonomics 2016, 59(8), 1073-1088.
• Henriksen S, Read JCA. Visual Perception: A Novel Difference Channel in Binocular Vision. Current Biology 2016, 26(12), R500-R503.
• Derzsi Z, Tarawneh G, Alter K, Read J. A stereoscopic look at frequency tagging: Is a single frequency enough?. In: 38th European Conference on Visual Perception (ECVP). 2015, Liverpool, UK: Sage Publications Ltd.
• Read J, Vancleef K, Serrano-Pedraza I, Morgan G, Sharp C, Clarke M. ASTEROID: Accurate STEReoacuity measurement in the eye clinic. In: 38th European Conference on Visual Perception (ECVP). 2015, Liverpool, UK: Sage Publications Ltd.
• Read JCA, Simonotto J, Bohr I, Godfrey A, Galna B, Rochester L, Smulders TV. Balance and coordination after viewing stereoscopic 3D television. Royal Society Open Science 2015, 2, 140522.
• Mazurek A, Bhoopathy R, Read JCA, Gallagher P, Smulders TV. Effects of age on a real-world What-Where-When memory task. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience 2015, 7, 74.
• Nityananda V, Tarawneh G, Rosner R, Nicolas J, Crichton S, Read J. Insect stereo vision demonstrated using virtual 3D stimuli. In: 38th European Conference on Visual Perception (EVCP) 2015. 2015, Liverpool, UK: Sage.
• Hands P, Khushu A, Read JCA. Interaction between size and disparity cues in distance judgements. In: 2014 International Conference on 3D Imaging, IC3D 2014. 2015, Liege, Belgium: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
• Serrano-Pedraza I, Arranz-Paraiso S, Romero-Ferreiro V, Read J. Inter-scale suppression and facilitation in motion-discrimination are unaffected by dichoptic presentation. In: 38th European Conference on Visual Perception (ECVP). 2015, Liverpool, UK: Sage Publications Ltd.
• Read JCA, Georgiou R, Brash C, Yazdani P, Whittaker R, Trevelyan A, Serrano-Pedraza I. Moderate acute alcohol intoxication has minimal effect on surround suppression measured with a motion direction discrimination task. Journal of Vision 2015, 15(1), 5.
• Read JCA. Stereo vision and strabismus. Eye 2015, 29(2), 214-224.
• Hands P, Smulders TV, Read JCA. Stereoscopic 3-D content appears relatively veridical when viewed from an oblique angle. Journal of Vision 2015, 15(5), 6.
• Nityananda V, Tarawneh G, Jones L, Busby N, Herbert W, Davies R, Read JCA. The contrast sensitivity function of the praying mantis Sphodromantis lineola. Journal of Comparative Physiology A 2015, 201(8), 741-750.
• Read JCA. The place of human psychophysics in modern neuroscience. Neuroscience 2015, 296, 116-129.
• Yazdani P, Serrano-Pedraza I, Whittaker RG, Trevelyan A, Read JC. Two common psychophysical measures of surround suppression reflect independent neuronal mechanisms. Journal of Vision 2015, 15(13).
• Read JCA. What is stereoscopic vision good for?. In: Stereoscopic Displays and Applications XXVI. 2015, San Francisco, CA, USA: SPIE and IS&T-The Society for Imaging Science and Technology.
• Tarawneh G, Read J. An FPGA-based Hardware Accelerator for Simulating Spatiotemporal Neurons. In: 21st IEEE International Conference on Electronics Circuits and Systems (ICECS 2014). 2014, Marseille, France: IEEE.
• Serrano-Pedraza I, Romero-Ferreiro V, Read JC, Diéguez-Risco T, Bagney A, Caballero-González M, Rodríguez-Torresano J, Rodríguez-Jiménez R. Reduced visual surround suppression in schizophrenia shown by measuring contrast detection thresholds. Frontiers in Psychology 2014, 5, 1431.
• Read JCA, Bohr I. User experience while viewing stereoscopic 3D television. Ergonomics 2014, 57(8), 1140-1153.
• Read JCA. Viewer experience with stereoscopic 3D television in the home. Displays 2014, 35(5), 252-260.
• Hands P, Read JCA. Perceptual compensation mechanisms when viewing stereoscopic 3D from an oblique angle. In: 2013 International Conference on 3D Imaging, IC3D 2013 - Proceedings. 2013, Abu Dhabi, UAE: IEEE Computer Society.
• Bohr I, Read J. Stereoacuity with Frisby and Revised FD2 Stereo Tests. PLoS One 2013, 8(12), e82999.
• Serrano-Pedraza I, Brash C, Read JCA. Testing the horizontal-vertical stereo anisotropy with the critical-band masking paradigm. Journal of Vision 2013, 13(11), 15.
• Read JCA, Begum SF, McDonald A, Trowbridge J. The binocular advantage in visuomotor tasks involving tools. i-Perception 2013, 4(2), 101-110.
• Read J, Allenmark F. Visual Perception: One World from Two Eyes. Current Biology 2013, 23(11), R483-R486.
• Allenmark F, Read JCA. Conjunctions between Motion and Disparity Are Encoded with the Same Spatial Resolution As Disparity Alone. Journal of Neuroscience 2012, 32(41), 14331-14343.
• Serrano-Pedraza I, Grady JP, Read JCA. Spatial frequency bandwidth of surround suppression tuning curves. Journal of Vision 2012, 12(6), 24.
• Banks MS, Read JCA, Allison RS, Watt SJ. Stereoscopy and the Human Visual System. SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal 2012, 121(4), 24-43.
• Vuong QC, Friedman A, Read JCA. The relative weight of shape and non-rigid motion cues in object perception: A model of the parameters underlying dynamic object discrimination. Journal of Vision 2012, 12(3), 16.
• Read JCA, Robson JH, Smith CL, Lucas AD. The scintillating grid illusion is enhanced by binocular viewing. i-Perception 2012, 3(10), 820-830.
• Read JCA. Visual Perception: Understanding Visual Cues to Depth. Current Biology 2012, 22(5), R163-R165.
• Brilot BO, Nettle D, Whittingham MJ, Bateson M, Read JCA. When is general wariness favored in avoiding multiple predators?. The American Naturalist 2012, 179(6), E180-E195.
• Read JCA, Vaz XA, Serrano-Pedraza I. Independent mechanisms for bright and dark image features in a stereo correspondence task. Journal of Vision 2011, 11(12), 4.
• Serrano-Pedraza I, Clarke MP, Read JCA. Single vision during ocular deviation in intermittent exotropia. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics 2011, 31(1), 45-55.
• Serrano-Pedraza I, Hogg EL, Read JCA. Spatial non-homogeneity of the antagonistic surround in motion perception. Journal of Vision 2011, 11(2), 3.
• Allenmark F, Read JCA. Spatial Stereoresolution for Depth Corrugations May Be Set in Primary Visual Cortex. PLoS Computational Biology 2011, 7(8), e1002142.
• Serrano-Pedraza I, Manjunath V, Osunkunle O, Clarke MP, Read JCA. Visual Suppression in Intermittent Exotropia during Binocular Alignment. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science 2011, 52(5), 2352-2364.
• Serrano-Pedraza I, Phillipson GP, Read JCA. A specialization for vertical disparity discontinuities. Journal of Vision 2010, 10(3), 2.
• Serrano-Pedraza I, Hogg L, Read JCA. Anisotropic facilitation in motion discrimination at low contrast [abstract]. Perception 2010, 39(supplement), 95-95.
• Allenmark F, Read JCA. Detectability of sine- versus square-wave disparity gratings: A challenge for current models of depth perception. Journal of Vision 2010, 10(8), -.
• Serrano-Pedraza I, Read JCA. Multiple channels for horizontal, but only one for vertical corrugations? A new look at the stereo anisotropy. Journal of Vision 2010, 10(12), -.
• Hardingham NR, Read JCA, Trevelyan AJ, Nelson JC, Jack JJB, Bannister NJ. Quantal Analysis Reveals a Functional Correlation between Presynaptic and Postsynaptic Efficacy in Excitatory Connections from Rat Neocortex. Journal of Neuroscience 2010, 30(4), 1441-1451.
• Phillipson GP, Read JCA. Stereo correspondence is optimized for large viewing distances. European Journal of Neuroscience 2010, 32(11), 1959-1969.
• Read JCA, Phillipson GP, Serrano-Pedraza I, Milner AD, Parker AJ. Stereoscopic Vision in the Absence of the Lateral Occipital Cortex. PLoS One 2010, 5(9), e12608.
• Read JCA. Vertical Binocular Disparity is Encoded Implicitly within a Model Neuronal Population Tuned to Horizontal Disparity and Orientation. PLoS Computational Biology 2010, 6(4), e1000754.
• Read JCA. [Meeting Abstract] How the Brain Handles Vertical Disparity. Journal of Physiological Sciences 2009, 59(Supplement 1), 79.
• Bredfeldt CE, Read JCA, Cumming BG. A Quantitative Explanation of Responses to Disparity-Defined Edges in Macaque V2. Journal of Neurophysiology 2009, 101(2), 701-713.
• Phillipson GP, Read JCA. Global vertical disparity influences stereo correspondence. 2009, 38(S1), 58-59.
• Serrano-Pedraza I, Read JCA. Horizontal/vertical anisotropy in sensitivity to relative disparity depends on stimulus depth structure. Perception 2009, 38(S1), 155-156.
• Read JCA, Phillipson GP, Glennerster A. Latitude and longitude vertical disparities. Journal of Vision 2009, 9(13), 11.
• Serrano-Pedraza I, Read JCA. Stereo vision requires an explicit encoding of vertical disparity. Journal of Vision 2009, 9(4), 1-13.
• Phillipson G, Read JCA. Does stereo correspondence take account of eye position?. In: Perception. 2007, Arezzo, Italy: Pion Ltd.
• Read JCA, Cumming BG. Sensors for impossible stimuli may solve the stereo correspondence problem. Nature Neuroscience 2007, 10(10), 1322-1328.
• Read JCA, Cumming BG. Does depth perception require vertical-disparity detectors?. Journal of Vision 2006, 6(12), 1323-1355.
• Hardingham NR, Bannister NJ, Read JCA, Fox KD, Hardingham GE, Jack JJB. Extracellular Calcium Regulates Postsynaptic Efficacy through Group 1 Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors. Journal of Neuroscience 2006, 26(23), 6337-6345.
• Read JCA, Cumming BG. All Pulfrich-like illusions can be explained without joint encoding of motion and disparity. Journal of Vision 2005, 5(11), 901-927.
• Read J. Early computational processing in binocular vision and depth perception. Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology 2005, 87(1), 77-108.
• Read JC, Cumming BG. Effect of Interocular Delay on Disparity-Selective V1 Neurons: Relationship to Stereoacuity and the Pulfrich Effect. Journal of Neurophysiology 2005, 94(2), 1541-1553.
• Read JC, Cumming BG. The stroboscopic Pulfrich effect is not evidence for the joint encoding of motion and depth. Journal of Vision 2005, 5(5), 417-434.
• Read JC, Cumming BG. Ocular dominance predicts neither strength nor class of disparity selectivity with random-dot stimuli in primate V1. Journal of Neurophysiology 2004, 91(3), 1271-1281.
• Read JC, Cumming BG. Understanding the cortical specialization for horizontal disparity. Neural Computation 2004, 16(10), 1983-2020.
• Read JC, Cumming BG. Measuring V1 receptive fields despite eye movements in awake monkeys. Journal of Neurophysiology 2003, 90(2), 946-960.
• Read JC, Cumming BG. Testing Quantitative Models of BinocularDisparity Selectivity in Primary Visual Cortex. Journal of Neurophysiology 2003, 90(5), 2795-2817.
• Read JC. A Bayesian approach to the stereo correspondence problem. Neural Computation 2002, 14(6), 1371-1392.
• Read JC. A Bayesian model of stereopsis depth and motion direction discrimination. Biological Cybernetics 2002, 86(2), 117-136.
• Read JC, Parker AJ, Cumming BG. A simple model accounts for the response of disparity-tuned V1 neurons to anticorrelated images. Visual Neuroscience 2002, 19(6), 735-753.
• Read JC, Eagle RA. Reversed stereo depth and motion direction with anti-correlated stimuli. Vision Research 2000, 40(24), 3345-3358.
• Evans, N. W., Read, J. C. A. Stability of power-law disks I. The Fredholm integral equation. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 1997, 300, 83-105.
• Evans, N. W., Read, J. C. A. Stability of power-law disks II. The global spiral modes. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 1997, 300, 106-130.