Dr Nikos Gkekas

I initially trained in Informatics (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece) and obtained a Masters in Machine Learning and Data Mining (University of Bristol). After working in the industry for some years, I obtained a Masters and PhD in Neuroinformatics from the University of Edinburgh. After the completion of my PhD, I worked as a post-doctoral researcher at the École normale supérieure in Paris and at the University of Nottingham. I joined Edinburgh Napier University in December 2021 as a Lecturer.

My main research interest is understanding how humans learn from the statistical properties of our environment in a process that appears to be seamless and automatic. I have looked at the role of prior expectations in perception, the limits of complexity of what can be learned, and how learning mechanisms of different temporal and structural properties interact. A complimentary research interest is understanding the neural mechanisms of low- to mid-level vision. Specifically, the investigation of canonical neural computations (normalization, lateral inhibition, probabilistic formulations) that are potentially repeated across different levels of the cortex and are responsible for organizing incoming information into increasingly complex perceptual representations.

Current research topics include adaptation and learning at different timescales, motion and speed perception, serial effects and probabilistic models of perception.