Dr Jean-Francois Delvenne

Profile

• I gained my degree in psychology from the Universite Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Belgium (graduating in 1999). During my studies, I have been actively involved in several research projects on face and object recognition, led Professors Xavier Seron and Bruno Rossion, using behavioural, electrophysiological, and neuropsychological methods.
• I then worked as a volunteer research assistant at the University of Birmingham, UK (1999-2000), with Professors Glyn Humphreys and Jane Riddoch, exploring mechnaisms underlying visual short-term memory.
• I then received a Ph.D. studentship from the Belgian Funding for Scientific Research (FNRS) for a period of four years (2000-2004). I completed my Ph.D. on the mechanisms of binding in visual short-term memory with Professor Raymond Bruyer at UCLouvain in 2004.
• Following my Ph.D., I was awarded two successive FNRS post-doctoral fellowships for a total period of three years (2004-2007). During that time, I worked at both UCLouvain and the University of Birmingham, UK, exploring further the mechanisms underlying visual short-term memory and inter-hemispheric communication of visual information.
• In June 2007, I joined the School of Psychology at Leeds as a lecturer and was promoted Associate Professor in 2017.

Responsibilities

• Academic Integrity Lead

Research interests

My research interests are related by a common focus on the severe limitations on our abilities to select, remember, and process visual information. I’m equally interested in understanding changes in cognitive processing across the lifespan

I have over two decades of research experience focused on two main areas: visual short-term memory (VSTM) and interhemispheric communication. My work on VSTM investigates how visual information is encoded, temporarily stored, integrated, and accessed. I am particularly interested in the mechanisms of feature binding, attention control, and bilateral processing, and how these processes are affected by healthy ageing. My second line of research examines interhemispheric communication, with a focus on the functional consequences of age-related degeneration of the corpus callosum - the brain’s primary conduit for cross-hemispheric information exchange.

My goal is to advance theoretical understanding of memory and connectivity while informing translational efforts aimed at preserving cognitive health in ageing populations.

� Call for Papers – Brain Sciences Special Issue �

"Ageing and Visual Working Memory: Cognitive and Neural Perspectives"

I'm guest editing a new Special Issue in Brain Sciences. The issue will focus on how visual working memory is affected by ageing, exploring both cognitive mechanisms and neural underpinnings, as well as potential interventions to mitigate decline. We welcome original research, reviews, and perspective articles. If you're working in this area - or know someone who is - please do share with relevant colleagues.

Submission Deadline: 30th June 2026
More info & submission: https://lnkd.in/eR-_gkvb

Qualifications

• Ph.D. Psychology

Professional memberships

• Experimental Psychology Society
• European Society for Cognitive Psychology
• American Psychology Association

Student education

I teach at all undergraduate and postgraduate levels, I supervise undergraduate and postgraduate research projects, and I supervise doctoral theses.

Research groups and institutes

• Cognitive Neuroimaging
• Language and memory
• Successful ageing