Rate My Professor Mark Edwards

Associate Professor Mark Edwards is based in the School of Medicine and Psychology at the Australian National University. He earned his PhD in visual psychophysics from the University of Melbourne in 1994, a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from ANU, and a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Queensland. Originally trained in mechanical engineering, Edwards transitioned to psychology, completing his undergraduate studies at ANU before pursuing his doctorate. Following his PhD, he spent seven years in research positions at NTT Basic Research Laboratories in Japan and the School of Optometry at the University of California, Berkeley, prior to joining ANU faculty in 2001.

Edwards' research investigates the human visual system, focusing on interactions between visual pathways, motion processing, optic flow sensitivity, visual search involving moving objects, and synaesthesia. More recently, his work addresses attentional control, cognitive empathy, emotion-induced blindness, and practical applications like improving low-prevalence visual search for medical imaging and security screening, as well as reducing crash risk in drivers through cognitive predictors. He serves as principal investigator on projects such as Improving Human Empathy, Improving Low Prevalence Visual Search, Investigating cognitive predictors of crash risk in provisional drivers, Using a scientific understanding of human cognition to reduce crash risk in older adult drivers, and Using Attentional Control to Help Make People Happier, Healthier and Kinder. With 98 research outputs, notable publications include Goodhew, S.C., Dawel, A., & Edwards, M. (2020). Standardizing measurement in psychological studies: On why one second has different value in a sprint versus a marathon. Behavior Research Methods; Proud, M., Goodhew, S.C. & Edwards, M. (2020). A vigilance avoidance account of spatial-selectivity in dual-stream emotion-induced-blindness. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review; Lawrence, R.K. et al. (2020). The impact of scaling rather than shaping attention: Changes in the scale of attention using global motion inducers influence both spatial and temporal acuity. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance; and Goodhew, S.C. & Edwards, M. (2024). Broad attention does not buffer the impact of emotionally salient stimuli on performance. Cognition and Emotion. His extensive collaborations, particularly with Stephanie Goodhew, have contributed significantly to visual cognition and attention research.