معرفی
Dr. Hannes Saal is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of Sheffield, where he leads the Active Touch Laboratory. He holds a BSc in Cognitive Science from the University of Osnabrück (Germany), MSc and PhD in Neuroinformatics from the University of Edinburgh, and completed postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago under Sliman Bensmaia. His research focuses on computational models of sensory coding, particularly the sense of touch, using methods from computational neuroscience, robotics, and machine learning. His work explores how tactile signals are processed to enable perception and interaction with the environment.
Dr. Saal’s research interests include tactile perception, neuroprosthetics, and biomechanics. He has secured grants such as Innovate UK’s PathStance (2023–24), the Leverhulme Trust project on cortical homunculus origins (2022–2025), and the EU Horizon 2020 NeuTouch initiative (2019–2023). He teaches on MSc programs in Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience and supervises PhD students in related areas.
His lab investigates tactile innervation patterns, skin biomechanics, and neural coding strategies. Notable projects include modeling foot sole afferents (FootSim) and understanding how viscoelastic properties of skin influence tactile signaling. Recent publications highlight advances in sensory perception, cortical plasticity, and prosthetic interface design.
