Head of the Wayfinding Lab
Prof Jan Wiener
Jan’s research focuses primarily on navigation and wayfinding behaviour.
Successful navigation is a fundamental behavioural problem that involves multiple cognitive components and complex information processing. In order to address these issues he makes use of different methods such as behavioural navigation experiments, virtual reality techniques, eye-tracking, and cognitive modelling.
Recent research has focused on the relation of gaze and wayfinding behaviour, the effects of typical and atypical ageing on navigation skills, and the use of signage to improve the navigability of complex environments such as airports and hospitals.
Jan can be contacted on +44 (0)1202 961822 or at jwiener@bournemouth.ac.uk
Christopher Hilton
Postgraduate Researcher:
Wayfinding, Ageing & Visual Attention
Chris is a PhD student in the field of spatial cognition and dementia. Previous to joining BUDI in 2016, Chris completed his Psychology degree and Neuropsychology master’s degree at Bournemouth University, and worked as the manager of a local residential care home. His master’s degree thesis utilised Electroencephalograph (EEG) methodology to investigate human neural activations in different navigational conditions.
Chris’s PhD work focuses on how a person’s attentional ability declines with the onset of dementia, and how that affects their ability to navigate environments. He use’s virtual environments and eye-tracking technology to assess the role of attention in the navigational difficulties that people with dementia experience.
Peter Allen
Postgraduate Researcher:
Visual search in complex natural environments
Email: allenp@bournemouth.ac.uk
Alumni
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is associated with marked impairments in spatial awareness and ‘wayfinding’ (i.e., self-directed navigation through the physical environment). In this project we aim to analyse the psychological processes underlying these impairments. The impact of the knowledge gained will be in the production dementia-friendly design guidelines for the construction of new care home residences and hospitals that will support better wayfinding by people with AD.
Mary O’Malley 
Postgraduate Researcher:
Wayfinding & Dementia
Mary is interested in ways how to facilitate spatial memory in people with dementia (in particular Alzheimer’s disease) and how navigational theories can be applied to the care-home environment in order to improve care-home design. She gained her BSc in Psychology from Cardiff University where her dissertation (supervised by Prof. Mark Good) focused on the effects of an anti-oxidant diet on aged memory systems. During her degree Mary completed a 9 month Internship at The Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Germany, researching spatial cognition (supervised by Dr Tobias Meilinger) and used a variety of Virtual Reality equipment and programming packages. In September Mary became a Dementia Friend and she is looking forward to spending the next years working with BUDI.
Dr Olivier de Condappa
Postgraduate Researcher:
Visual Attention and Wayfinding
Dr Jessica Miller
Postgraduate Researcher:
PTSD and Navigation
Jessica Miller (MPhil Cantab) has developed a project researching PTSD, Navigation and Genes, with which she is undertaking a PhD (supervised by Dr Jan Wiener), and also working in collaboration with UCL (Prof Chris Brewin). The project is being submitted by the NHS for registration with the NIHR in early 2013. The research is unfunded but with supporting contributions from the Army of Angels (registered charity), the BU Foundation and the PGR Scheme at Bournemouth University. Fieldwork will take place through Combat Stress (registered charity), Cambridgeshire Constabulary, and Branksome Psychotherapy Clinic (Poole).