معرفی
Andy Wills is a Professor in Psychology at the School of Psychology, University of Plymouth, within the Faculty of Health. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge and has held academic positions at Exeter University and Plymouth University, advancing to full professorship in 2012.
Andy earned his undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Southampton (1990–1993). He pursued his Ph.D. in computational learning theory at the University of Cambridge (1994–1998) under Ian McLaren. Following his Ph.D., he was a Junior Research Fellow at Emmanuel College, Cambridge (1998–2000). His career progression includes roles at Exeter University (Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, and Associate Professor) before joining Plymouth as a full professor in 2012.
His research focuses on visual object categorization, the role of errors and attention in learning, and human-centered AI. A proponent of open science, he maintains R packages like catlearn (43,000+ downloads). His work bridges cognitive psychology and machine learning, emphasizing clear scientific communication and ethical AI applications.
Recent studies explore category learning mechanisms, attentional effects, and human-machine comparisons in object recognition. His interdisciplinary approach addresses generalization strategies and cognitive load, contributing to neuroscience and AI.
- Supervised doctoral students include Lenard Dome (2023), Angus Inskter (2019), and Charlotte Edmunds (2017).
- Advocates for open-source tools and led initiatives like the Research Methods in R teaching materials.
- Active in debates on research ethics, peer review during UK academic strikes, and open science practices.
His lab at Plymouth University fosters reproducible research and collaborative projects in cognitive modeling and AI.
