Prof Peter Aspinall
Job title:
Honorary Professor, Architecture and Landscape Architecture
Role:
Associate Director of OPENspace
Biography
Peter is Associate Director of OPENspace research centre and an Honorary Professor in the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. He is also Emeritus Professor of Environmental Studies at Heriot-Watt University and an Honorary Fellow in Clinical Science at the University of Edinburgh.
Peter has an MSc in psychology and a PhD in ophthalmology from The University of Edinburgh and has held an honorary fellowship in ophthalmology for over 30 years. A central theme of his research has been aspects of visual function and behaviour, with early research on age variation in visual fields and colour vision.
He has taught visual perception, lighting and environmental psychology at Edinburgh College of Art (ECA), where his research interests in visual function have continued. Prior to moving to Heriot-Watt University, he was also Director of Research at ECA.
Over the last ten years, Peter’s research interests have focused on development and work within two research centres: OPENspace; and VisionCentre3, a collaboration with Professor Baljean Dhillon, supported by RNIB and the Scottish Government, established following success in winning the UK prize for ophthalmology.
In this time, he has worked on five EPSRC-funded projects: the development of a self-administered vision test to optimize lighting for glaucoma patients; a navigation system for visually impaired people; Mobility, Mood and Place (MMP); Inclusive Design for Getting Outdoors (I’DGO); and a light emitting polymer for displays at low illuminance.