Dr Kami Koldewyn
Reader in Psychology
Lead for ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership, Psychology pathway
Co-Director for Research at Tir Na n'Og
Member of the Bangor Imaging Centre Steering Group
Lab Website: https://sites.google.com/view/devsocialvislab/
Room 315
Brigantia Building
Penrallt Road
Bangor
LL57 2AS
email: k.koldewyn@bangor.ac.uk
Telephone: +44(0)1248388581
Current Office Hours: Mondays 1-3pm
Qualifications
- PhD: Visual Motion Processing in Autism
University of California, Davis, 2009 - BA: Music and Philosophy
Pomona College, Claremont, California, 1996 - Professional: Fellow of the Higher Education Academy FHEA
Overview
Kami earned a dual BA degree in Music and Philosophy at Pomona College in California. After several years teaching children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders, she returned to graduate school and completed a PhD in Neuroscience at the University of California, Davis. She then spent four years as a postdoctoral researcher at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, working with Nancy Kanwisher. She joined the faculty at Bangor in 2013.
Kami is a Reader in the school of Psychology and part of the Social Neuroscience research group in the school.
Her research interests include: The development of social perception and social cognition across the lifespan, Autism Spectrum Disorder and other neurodevelopmental disorders that affect social perception and cognition, and the brain bases of social perception and social cognition.
Teaching and Supervision
Kami supervises undergraduate and Masters students on projects that encompass a broad range of topics in social perception and social neuroscience.
She is currently supervising four PhD students: Ioana Mihai, Rachel Newey, Laura Jastzrab and Rin Voigt-Hill.
Her supervision includes three current postdoctoral scholars: Julia Landsiedel, Simona Skripkauskaite, and Katie Daughters.
https://sites.google.com/view/devsocialvislab/people
She teaches a specialist 3rd-year module: Brain Development and Degeneration and co-teachers Biological Bases of Neurodevelopmental Disorders at the Masters level.
Research Interests
Our current research program addresses three intertwined questions:
- How is social perception and its development altered in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and what are the neural bases of these social differences?
- How does the social perception system arise and change across typical development?
- What is the cognitive and neural architecture of social perception in typical adults?
To address these questions, we use a variety of methods, including behavioral and eye-tracking paradigms, visual psychophysics and both structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in individuals with developmental disorders as well as typical children and adults.
Many of the current project in the lab are focused on the perception and understanding of social interactions viewed from a 3rd-person perspective.
Postgraduate Project Opportunities
I would like to speak with anyone looking for PhD or postdoctoral positions in Social Perception or Social Neuroscience, especially those that are interested in how social perception, or the social brain, changes across development and/or across the life-span. The lab is also interested in neurodevelopmental disorders that affect social perception and or social cognition, including particularly Autism and Fragile X syndrome. I am looking for candidates with a strong quantitative and programming background or those who are keen to acquire those skills. Funded positions will be announced on my lab website (https://sites.google.com/view/devsocialvislab/) and happy to discuss alternative funding and fellowship routes. Please also feel free to get in touch regarding MSc and BSc thesis projects, as well as internship opportunities.
Publications
2019
- PublishedDyadic interaction processing in the posterior temporal cortex
Walbrin, J. & Koldewyn, K., Sep 2019, In : Neuroimage. 198, September, p. 296-302
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article - E-pub ahead of printRepresentational similarity precedes category selectivity in the developing ventral visual pathway
Cohen, M. A., Dilks, D. D., Koldewyn, K., Weigelt, S., Feather, J., Kell, A. J., Keil, B., Fischl, B., Zöllei, L., Wald, L., Saxe, R. & Kanwisher, N., 8 May 2019, In : Neuroimage. 197, August, p. 565-574 10 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article - PublishedElectro-cortical correlates of multisensory integration using ecologically valid emotional stimuli: Differential effects for fear and disgust
Stefanou, M. E., Dundon, N., Bestelmeyer, P., Koldewyn, K., Saville, C., Fleischhaker, C., Feige, B., Biscaldi, M., Smyrnis, N. & Klein, C., Mar 2019, In : Biological Psychology. 142, p. 132-139
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article - PublishedThe influence of prosocial priming on visual perspective taking and automatic imitation
Newey, R., Koldewyn, K. & Ramsey, R., 23 Jan 2019, In : PLoS ONE. 14, 1, 0198867.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
2018
- PublishedHigh-level language processing regions are not engaged in action observation or imitation
Pritchett, B. L., Hoeflin, C., Koldewyn, K., Dechter, E. & Fedorenko, E., Nov 2018, In : Journal of Neurophysiology. 120, 5, p. 2555-2570
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article - PublishedAdaptation to vocal expressions and phonemes is intact in autism spectrum disorder
Bestelmeyer, P., Williams, B., Lawton, J., Stefanou, M-E., Koldewyn, K., Klein, C. & Biscaldi, M., May 2018, In : Clinical Psychological Science. 6, 3, p. 372-381
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article - PublishedNeural Responses to Visually Observed Social Interactions
Walbrin, J., Downing, P. & Koldewyn, K., Apr 2018, In : Neuropsychologia. 112, April, p. 31-39
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
2017
- PublishedPerceiving social interactions in the posterior superior temporal sulcus
Isik, L., Koldewyn, K., Beeler, D. & Kanwisher, N., Oct 2017, In : PNAS. 114, 43, p. E9145-E9152
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article - PublishedThe neuroscience of people watching: how the human brain makes sense of other people's encounters
Quadflieg, S. & Koldewyn, K., 26 May 2017, In : Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1396, 1, p. 166-182 17 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
2016
- PublishedU Can Touch This: How Tablets Can Be Used to Study Cognitive Development
Semmelmann, K., Nordt, M., Sommer, K., Röhnke, R., Mount, L., Prüfer, H., Terwiel, S., Meissner, T. W., Koldewyn, K. & Weigelt, S., 7 Jul 2016, In : Frontiers of Psychology. 7, 1021.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
2015
- PublishedFunctional Organization of Social Perception and Cognition in the Superior Temporal Sulcus
Deen, B., Koldewyn, K., Kanwisher, N. & Saxe, R., Nov 2015, In : Cerebral Cortex. 25, 11, p. 4596-4609
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article - PublishedStructural Connectivity of the Developing Human Amygdala
Saygin, Z. M., Osher, D. E., Koldewyn, K., Martin, R. E., Finn, A., Saxe, R., Gabrieli, J. D. & Sheridan, M., 15 Apr 2015, In : PLoS ONE. 10, 4, p. 1-19
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article - PublishedStructural connectivity fingerprints predict cortical selectivity for multiple visual categories across cortex
Osher, D. E., Saxe, R. R., Koldewyn, K., Gabrieli, J. D., Kanwisher, N. & Saygin, Z. M., 26 Jan 2015, In : Cerebral Cortex. 26, 4, p. 1668-1683
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
2014
- PublishedVisual adaptation of the perception of “life”: Animacy is a basic perceptual dimension of faces
Koldewyn, K., Hanus, P. & Balas, B., Aug 2014, In : Psychonomic Bulletin and Review. 21, 4, p. 969-975
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article - PublishedFear-Specific Amygdala Function in Children and Adolescents on the Fragile X Spectrum: A Dosage Response of the FMR1 Gene
Kim, S. Y., Burris, J., Bassal, F., Koldewyn, K., Chattarji, S., Tassone, F., Hessl, D. & Rivera, S. M., Mar 2014, In : Cerebral Cortex. 24, 3, p. 600-613
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article - PublishedSpurious group differences due to head motion in a diffusion MRI study
Yendiki, A., Koldewyn, K., Kakunoori, S., Kanwisher, N. & Fischel, B., Mar 2014, In : Neuroimage. 88, p. 79-90
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article - PublishedUnimpaired Attentional Disengagement and Social Orienting in Children With Autism
Fischer, J., Koldewyn, K., Jiang, Y. V. & Kanwisher, N., Mar 2014, In : Clinical Psychological Science. 2, 2, p. 214-223
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article - PublishedDifferences in the right inferior longitudinal fasciculus but no general disruption of white matter tracts in children with autism spectrum disorder
Koldewyn, K., Yendiki, A., Weigelt, S., Gweon, H., Joshua, J., Richardson, H., Malloy, C., Saxe, R., Fischl, B. & Kanwisher, N., 4 Feb 2014, In : PNAS. 111, 5, p. 1981-1986
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article - PublishedDomain-specific development of face memory but not face perception
Weigelt, S., Koldewyn, K., Dilks, D. D., Balas, B., McKone, E. & Kanwisher, N., 1 Jan 2014, In : Developmental Science. 17, 1, p. 47-58
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
2013
- PublishedFragile X Syndrome and Autism
Farzin, F. & Koldewyn, K., 13 Nov 2013, Comprehensive Guide to Autism. 2014 ed. p. 2743-2754
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter - PublishedEarly visual ERP sensitivity to the species and animacy of faces
Balas, B. & Koldewyn, K., 1 Nov 2013, In : Neuropsychologia. 51, 13, p. 2876-2881
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article - PublishedMale carriers of the FMR1 premutation show altered hippocampal-prefrontal function during memory encoding
Wang, J. M., Koldewyn, K., Hashimoto, R. I., Schneider, A., Le, L., Tassone, F., Cheung, K., Hagerman, P., Hessl, D. & Rivera, S. M., 30 Oct 2013, In : Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 6, p. 297
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article - PublishedGlobal/Local Processing in Autism: Not a Disability, but a Disinclination
Koldewyn, K., Jiang, Y. V., Weigelt, S. & Kanwisher, N., 1 Oct 2013, In : Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 43, 10, p. 2329-2340
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article - PublishedFace Recognition Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorders Are Both Domain Specific and Process Specific
Weigelt, S., Koldewyn, K. & Kanwisher, N., 11 Sep 2013, In : PLoS ONE. 8, 9, p. e74541
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article - PublishedMultiple Object Tracking in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Koldewyn, K., Weigelt, S., Kanwisher, N. & Jiang, Y., 1 Jun 2013, In : Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 43, 6, p. 1394-1405
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
2012
- PublishedFace identity recognition in autism spectrum disorders: A review of behavioral studies
Weigelt, S., Koldewyn, K. & Kanwisher, N., 1 Mar 2012, In : Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. 36, 3, p. 1060-1084
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article - PublishedAnatomical connectivity patterns predict face selectivity in the fusiform gyrus
Saygin, Z. M., Osher, D. E., Koldewyn, K., Teynolds, G., Gabrieli, J. D. & Saxe, R. R., 1 Feb 2012, In : Nature Neuroscience. 15, 2, p. 171-337
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
2011
- PublishedInvestigation of amygdala volume in men with the fragile X premutation
Selmeczy, D., Koldewyn, K., Wang, J. M., Lee, A., Harvey, D., Hessl, D. R., Tassone, F., Adams, P., Hagerman, P. J. & Rivera, S. M., 1 Dec 2011, In : Brain Imaging and Behavior. 5, 4, p. 285-294
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article - PublishedDecreased Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein Expression Underlies Amygdala Dysfunction in Carriers of the Fragile X Premutation
Hessl, D., Wang, J. M., Schneider, A., Koldewyn, K., Le, L., Iwahashi, C., Cheung, K., Tassone, F., Hagerman, P. J. & Rivera, S. M., 1 Nov 2011, In : Biological Psychiatry. 70, 9, p. 859-865
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article - PublishedNeural correlates of coherent and biological motion perception in autism
Koldewyn, K., Whitney, D. & Rivera, S. M., 1 Sep 2011, In : Developmental Science. 14, 5, p. 1075-1088
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
2010
- PublishedCross-Category Adaptation Reveals Tight Coupling of Face and Body Perception
Weigelt, S., Koldewyn, K. & Doerhrmann, O., 1 Aug 2010, In : Journal of Neurophysiology. 104, 2, p. 581-583
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article - PublishedPsychological symptoms correlate with reduced hippocampal volume in fragile X premutation carriers
Adams, P. E., Adams, J. S., Nguyen, D. V., Brunberg, J. A., Tassone, F., Zhang, W., Koldewyn, K., Rivera, S. M., Grigsby, J., Zhang, L., DeCarli, C., Hagerman, P. J. & Hagerman, R. J., 1 Apr 2010, In : American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics. 153B, 3, p. 775-785
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article - PublishedThe psychophysics of visual motion and global form processing in autism
Koldewyn, K., Whitney, D. & Rivera, S. M., 1 Feb 2010, In : Brain: A journal of Neurology. 133, 2, p. 599-610
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
2008
- PublishedReduced Hippocampal Activation During Recall is Associated with Elevated FMR1 mRNA and Psychiatric Symptoms in Men with the Fragile X Premutation
Koldewyn, K., Hessl, D., Adams, J., Tassone, F., Hagerman, P. J. & Hagerman, R. J., 1 Jun 2008, In : Brain Imaging and Behavior. 2, 2, p. 105-116
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article - PublishedBrief Report: Aggression and Stereotypic Behavior in Males with Fragile X Syndrome—Moderating Secondary Genes in a “Single Gene” Disorder
Hessl, D., Tassone, F., Cordeiro, L., Koldewyn, K., McCormick, C., Green, C., Wegelin, J., Yuhas, J. & Hagerman, R. J., 1 Jan 2008, In : Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 38, 1, p. 184-189
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
2007
- PublishedVolumetric brain changes in females with fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS)
Adams, J. S., Adams, P. E., Nguyen, D., Brunberg, J. A., Tassone, F., Zhang, W., Koldewyn, K., Rivera, S. M., Grigsby, J., Zhang, L., DeCarli, C., Hagerman, P. J. & Hagerman, R. J., 28 Aug 2007, In : Neurology. 69, 9, p. 851-9 9 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article - PublishedIndependent coding of object motion and position revealed by distinct contingent aftereffects
Bulakowski, P. F., Koldewyn, K. & Whitney, D., Mar 2007, In : Vision Research. 47, 6, p. 810-817 8 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Activities
2019
- Social Interaction in the Brain
29 Apr 2019
Activity: Invited talk (Speaker) - External Examiner for PhD Thesis: "Mentalizing during communicative acts"
5 Apr 2019
Activity: Examination (Examiner) - Social Interaction Perception in the Social Brain
8 Mar 2019
Activity: Oral presentation (Speaker) - Grant Review
2019 →
Activity: Other (Reviewer) - Grant Review for British Academy
2019 →
Activity: Other (Reviewer)
2018
- Social Interaction and Social Cognition: the brain bases
30 Oct 2018
Activity: Invited talk (Speaker) - The Science of Social Interaction
11 Sep 2018 – 12 Sep 2018
Activity: Participation in workshop, seminar, course (Organiser) - Vision Sciences Society. Florida
18 May 2018 – 23 May 2018
Activity: Participation in conference (Speaker) - Perspectives in Neuroscience, the case of social perception
8 Mar 2018
Activity: Invited talk (Speaker) - External Examiner for PhD Thesis: "Development of face recognition and category representations in human ventral temporal cortex"
25 Jan 2018
Activity: Examination (Examiner)
2017
- Vision Sciences Society. Florida
18 May 2017 – 25 May 2017
Activity: Participation in conference (Participant) - Joint UK/Iran Mental Health and Resilience Workshop
24 Apr 2017 – 27 Apr 2017
Activity: Participation in workshop, seminar, course (Speaker) - Social Interactions in the Social Brain
14 Feb 2017
Activity: Invited talk (Speaker) - Boosting social skills with brain scanning
2017
Activity: Types of Public engagement and outreach - Media article or participation (Contributor) - Grant Review
2017 – 2019
Activity: Other (Reviewer)
2016
- Social Perception and the Brain
Public Lecture
28 Apr 2016
Activity: Types of Public engagement and outreach - Festival/Exhibition (Speaker)
2015
- Social Interaction Perception
27 Aug 2015 – 28 Aug 2015
Activity: Invited talk (Speaker) - Fresh Perspectives on Social Perception: Social Interaction
28 Mar 2015 – 31 Mar 2015
Activity: Invited talk (Speaker) - Understanding Attention in Autism Spectrum Disorder
12 Feb 2015
Activity: Types of External academic engagement - Invited talk (Contributor) - Brain's social 'river' carries clues about autism
2015
Activity: Types of Public engagement and outreach - Media article or participation (Contributor)
2014
- Soapbox Science, Swansea Edition
5 Jul 2014
Activity: Types of Public engagement and outreach - Festival/Exhibition (Speaker) - Social Perception and Attention in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Talk given at at Durham University, UK
May 2014
Activity: Oral presentation (Speaker) - Social Perception in Autism
29 Apr 2014
Activity: Invited talk (Speaker) - Excellent science should not have to be a solitary pursuit
Online article
2014
Activity: Types of Public engagement and outreach - Media article or participation (Contributor)
Projects
-
30/03/2017 – 30/04/2022 (Active)
-
Developmental Change in the Posterior Superior Temporal Sulcus
01/11/2014 – 31/08/2016 (Finished)
-
Person perception in typical and atypical development
01/10/2014 – 30/09/2017 (Finished)
Other Grants and Projects
Social Interaction Perception and the Social Brain Across Typical and Atypical Development - Becoming Social
ERC Starting Grant: £1,157,461.00
30/03/17 - 30/03/22
Developmental Change in the Posterior Superior Temporal Sulcus
Royal Society: £14,929.00
1/11/14 → 31/10/15
Person Perception in Typical and Atypical Development
British Academy: £9,681.00
1/10/14 → 30/09/16