Rob Jenkins
Professor

Profile

Biography

Cognitive psychologist

• BSc (Hons) Cognitive Science, University of Westminster
• PhD Psychology, University College London

Career

• 2013-present Reader, then Professor, Department of Psychology, University of York
• 2006-2013 Lecturer, then Senior Lecturer, University of Glasgow
• 2004-2006 Scientist, MRC Cognition & Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge

Research

Overview

I am a cognitive psychologist. I use experimental methods and data analysis to examine problems in practical ethics.

Projects

Anthropogenic risk. Many of the most pressing problems facing humanity are human caused. I am interested in general principles of decision making and behaviour that expose humanity to these risks, especially extinction risks such as nuclear war, engineered pathogens, and unaligned AI.

Mind perception. Ethical consideration of others (humans, robots, rocks) often depends on whether or not we view them as conscious beings. My research examines cues that inform these judgements in everyday life.

Grants

• 2022--2024 FTX Foundation. Cognitive Hazards
• 2020--2021 Leverhulme Trust RF-2020-448\10. Systematic review of weekday effects
• 2019--2020 British Academy MD19\190023. Weekly fluctuations in decision making and behaviour
• 2018--2021 Leverhulme Trust RPG-2019-085. Face detection by humans

Awards

• Psychonomic Society prize (best paper)
• BPS Cognitive Section prize (best paper)
• RSE/Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane medal for Physical Sciences
• Joseph Lister Award for Science Communication

Available PhD research projects

I welcome PhD enquiries, particularly in the area of anthropogenic risk.

Publications

Selected publications

• Zhou, X., & Jenkins, R. (2022). Face-evoked thoughts. Cognition, 218, 104955.
• Will, P., Merritt, E., Jenkins, R., & Kingstone, A. (2021). The Medusa effect reveals levels of mind perception in pictures. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118 (32), e2106640118.
• Jenkins, R., Dowsett, A. J., & Burton, A. M. (2018). How many faces do people know? Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 285(1888), 20181319.
• Jenkins, R., White, D., Van Montfort, X., & Burton, A. M. (2011). Variability in photos of the same face. Cognition, 121(3), 313-323.

Full publications list

See Google Scholar or the York Research Database. 

Teaching

Undergraduate

• Advanced Module: Human Risk
• Advanced Module: Cognitive Anomalies, Decision Making, and Democracy (CADMAD)

External activities

Memberships

• 2002-present Member, Experimental Psychology Society (EPS)
• 2013-2018 Member, Global Young Academy (GYA)