Catz Fellow Delivers his Inaugural Lecture as University Chair of Translational Cognitive Neuroscience
St Catherine’s College looks forward to the Inaugural Lecture of Professor Ole Jensen, Catz Statutory Professor of Experimental Psychology. On Monday, 3rd November, Professor Jensen will deliver his first lecture as Chair of Translational Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Oxford, a post which spans the Departments of Experimental Psychology and Psychiatry.
In his lecture titled ‘Spatial Attention and Working Memory Mechanisms in Natural Language Processing’, Professor Jensen will explore how fundamental cognitive systems – such as attention and working memory – operate in the fast-moving context of natural reading and speech. This is closely linked to his ongoing work, which focuses on the use of magnetoencephalography (MEG) to study how oscillatory brain activity underlies attention and memory. As a leading cognitive neuroscientist, Professor Jensen aims to translate these new research insights into real-world applications in human brain health and brain-imaging.
Professor Jensen’s lecture will present research on attention and working memory in the rapid, real-world processes of reading and language comprehension, and will draw significantly on his own MEG research. He will present evidence of how the brain holds and reactivates linguistic information in speech, and how readers can quickly access meaning from upcoming words.
These Inaugural Lectures are an essential part of every academic’s professional and personal development, offering newly appointed University members the opportunity to share their vision, to celebrate their field and colleagues, and to mark a new chapter in their journey. They are, at once, a moment of reflection and an opportunity for connection with the wider University community, honouring both the achievements that led to the appointment and the aspirations that lie ahead.
Professor Ole Jensen
Since his appointment as Chair of Translational Cognitive Neuroscience in October 2024, Professor Ole Jensen has been involved in the development of optically-pumped magnetometer (OPM)-based MEG systems, focusing especially on attention mechanisms in children and neurodiversity. Previously, he was Professor of Translational Neuroscience and Co-Director of the Centre for Human Brain Health at the University of Birmingham, and held earlier posts at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour (Radboud University Nijmegen). He obtained his PhD in Neuroscience at Brandeis University and his MSc in Electrical Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark.
The lecture will take place on Monday, 3rd November 2025 in the Life and Mind Building, as part of the Department of Experimental Psychology’s ‘Perspectives in Psychology’ seminar programme. You can register to attend here.
Image courtesy of University of Oxford