Professor Adrian Burgess

Professor of Psychology and Subject Leader

School of Life and Health Sciences
Aston University
Birmingham B4 7ET
UK

Room: SW612B
0121 204 4054
a.p.burgess@aston.ac.uk 

Students may book time to see me at: https://wass.aston.ac.uk/wass/pages/login.page.php

Research interests

Hans Berger is often quoted as saying that he hoped EEG would become a ‘window on the mind’. We’re still waiting for that dream to come true but my main research interest is in trying to make it happen.
Specialist Subjects:

• Changes in the EEG coincident with spontaneous (i.e. emergent) changes in perceptual state

• Functional Connectivity, particularly the development and adaptation of measures sensitive to non-linear connectivity

• Neural Correlates of Consciousness, especially Tononi & Edelman’s Dynamic Core Hypothesis

• Application of the above ideas to clinical conditions that affect conscious states such as epilepsy, schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder

• The effects of mobile telephones on the brain

Research funding

• Elliott P, Little M, Neasham D, Burgess AP. (2003). “Airwave Health Monitoring Study”, Home Office, May 2003 for 15 years, total value £4,766,906. www.police-health.org.uk
• Burgess AP (Principal Investigator), Kennard C, Elliott P, Little M, Neasham D (2003). “The effect of Terrestial Trunked Radio (Tetra) on Cognitive and Neurophysiological functioning in Police Officers”. Home Office, Commenced Spring 2005 for two years, total value  £290,352
• Walden AP & Burgess AP (2006). Multivariate time series graphical modelling for analysis of brain connectivity in schizophrenia sufferers, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, from January 2007 for 3 years, total value £227,451

     Career history 

• BA (Hons) in Experimental Psychology, St Catherine’s College, Oxford University. President of the Junior Common Room

•  MSc In Clinical Psychology, University of Surrey

• PhD in Psychology, London University

• Basic Grade Clinical Psychologist, Adult and Neuropsychology Services, Charing Cross Hospital (1987-1989)

• Research Officer, Charing Cross & Westminster Medical School (1989-1991

• Lecturer in Psychology as Applied to Medicine, Charing Cross & Westminster Medical School Honorary Senior Clinical Psychologist, Riverside Mental Health Trust (1991-1998)

• Senior Lecturer in Psychology as Applied to Medicine, Imperial College London (1998-2005)
• Professor of Psychology, Swansea University (2005-2008) and Head of Department of Psychology & Deputy Head of School of Human Sciences (2007-2008)
• Professor and Subject Leader in Psychology, Aston University (2008- )  

Teaching activity

•  Module Organiser of Perspectives in Psychology (PY1123 & PY1126)

   Brain & Behaviour I (PY1121 & PY2228)

• MRes Cognitive Neuroscience

Membership of professional bodies 

• British Association for Cognitive Neuroscience (Formerly British Psychophysiological Society) -1995 to present
  • President (2002-2007)
  • Treasurer and Membership Secretary (1995-2002)
• British Psychological Society
  • Associate Fellow
  • Chartered Clinical Psychologist Member of the Division of Clinical Psychology
  • Practitioner Member of the Division of Neuropsychology
  • Member of the Mathematical, Statistical and Computing Special Interest Group
• British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies

Selected publications

• Medkour T, Walden AT, Burgess AP (2009)
  Graphical modelling for brain connectivity via partial coherence
  J Neurosci Methods. 180, 374-83

• Burgess AP (2007)
  On the contribution of neurophysiology to hypnosis research: current state and future directions
  In “Hypnosis and Conscious States: the cognitive neuroscience perspective”
  G.A. Jamieson (Ed), (Oxford: Oxford University Press)

• Cooper NR, Croft RJ, Gruzelier JH and Burgess AP
  Investigating the role of evoked and induced activity in task-related alpha power increases
  Neuroreport. 17, 205-208.

• Burgess AP and Rehman J
  Changes in gamma-band EEG associated with changes in perception of random dot stereograms.
   International Journal of Psychophysiology, 44, (2003), 35-42

•  Cooper NR, Croft RJ, Dominey SJJ, Burgess AP  Gruzelier JH
   Paradox lost? Exploring the role of alpha oscillations during externally vs. internally directed attention and the implications for idling and inhibition hypotheses.
  International Journal of Psychophysiology, 47, (2003), 65-74

• Burgess AP and Lia A
  Functional connectivity of gamma-band EEG activity is modulated at theta frequencies during conscious recognition.
   International Journal of Psychophysiology, 46, 2002, 91-100

• Summerfield C, Jack AI, Burgess AP
  'Induced gamma activity is associated with conscious awareness of pattern masked nouns.
  International Journal of Psychophysiology, 44, (2002), 93-100.

• Croft RJ, Chandler JS, Burgess AP, Barry RJ, Williams JD, Clarke AR.
  Acute Mobile Phone Operation Affects Neural Function in Humans'
  Clin. Neurophysiol., 113, (2002), 1623. 

Prof Adrian Burgess/Aston University/updated October 2009