Harmen Gudde

Harmen Gudde is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the School of Psychology, University of East Anglia (UEA), where he has been actively contributing to research since 2013. He is currently working with Prof Kenny Coventry and Dr Irene Sperandio as part of the Marie Skłodowska Curie ITN DComm project, investigating the neural correlates of spatial memory. His research is interdisciplinary, bridging cognitive psychology, linguistics, and neuroscience.

Harmen completed his PhD at UEA under the Marie Skłodowska Curie ITN LanPercept project, supervised by Prof Kenny Coventry and Dr Paul Engelhardt. His doctoral research focused on the interaction between language and perception, particularly in the domains of spatial memory and visual perception.

His research interests center on how language influences non-linguistic cognitive processes. Key areas include:

• How language shapes spatial memory
• Whether different languages affect spatial cognition differently
• How linguistic input modulates visual perception
• The role of gestures and eye gaze in language comprehension and learning

His work emphasizes experimental and cross-linguistic approaches to understanding embodied and situated cognition.

The recent publications highlight a strong trend in spatial language, cross-cultural communication, and the interplay between gesture and language. His work spans developmental contexts (e.g., children's use of demonstratives) and adult second language learning, often employing multimodal and neurocognitive methods. There is a clear focus on universal constraints in spatial communication across languages.

Harmen is involved in externally funded research, notably the ESRC-funded project Spatial communication and computational efficiency across languages and cultures (2025–2028), indicating active grant involvement. While he collaborates extensively and contributes to high-impact journals, no formal students are listed under his supervision.

He is part of a vibrant research network involving international collaborators across Europe and beyond, particularly within the Marie Curie training networks. His work is disseminated through top-tier journals such as Nature Human Behaviour and Frontiers in Psychology, and has received attention in news outlets and social media, reflecting broad academic and public impact.