Professor Sarah Bate completed her PhD and a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Exeter, before joining BU as a lecturer in Psychology in 2010. Prior to her appointment as Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange, Professor Bate was Head of the Department of Psychology and institutional lead for research impact and Athena SWAN.
Professor Bate’s personal research interests are in human face recognition, where she studies neuropsychological impairments in person recognition (particularly prosopagnosia or “face-blindness”) and people with extraordinarily proficient face-processing skills.
Her work has been funded by the ESRC, MRC and many charities and professional organisations, and she has received research fellowships from the Leverhulme Trust and British Academy. Professor Bate is currently Associate Editor of the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology.
The societal impact of Professor Bate’s research has been extensive; her work on prosopagnosia initiated policy change within the NHS and she is an advisor to brain injury charities. Her study of superior face recognisers has led to partnerships with many police forces worldwide, and she has worked with the UK College of Policing.
In addition, Professor Bate’s extensive profile of international outreach and public engagement, supplemented by vast worldwide media coverage, was recognised by the award of the Margaret Mead Prize by the British Science Association.