Prof Elisa Raffaella Ferrè
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Overview
Overview
Biography
I am Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and Head of the School of Psychological Sciences at Birkbeck, University of London.
I completed my BSc, MSc, and PhD in Psychology at the Università degli Studi di Pavia, Italy. A visiting period at the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience during my PhD led me to move there as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow (2012–2015). I subsequently held faculty positions at Royal Holloway, University of London, before joining Birkbeck in 2021, where I established the VESTIBULARxSPACE NEUROSCIENCE Lab. I was appointed Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience in October 2023.
My work sits at the intersection of cognitive neuroscience, experimental psychology, and space science - asking what happens to the human brain when gravity, its most constant reference point, changes.
I hold the position of Vice President of the European Low Gravity Research Association (ELGRA).
Highlights
“This is your brain on space: how gravity influences your mental abilities” – BBC Science Focus featuring my research.
"The next small step" - my New Scientist comment on the importance of understanding human psychology and cognition for the success of space exploration.
“What does art mean outside planet Earth?” – Our artistic and scientific project, The Zero-Gravity Band, aims to reflect and theorize on how artistic production and aesthetic perception are influenced by gravity.
Recent Research Highlights:
- Systematic Underestimation of Human Hand Weight in Current Biology.
- Gravitational and Retinal Reference Frames Shape Spatial Memory in Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
- A Spontaneous Gravity Prior: Newborn Chicks Prefer Stimuli that Move against Gravity in Biology Letters.
Office hours
Please email to book an appointment.
Web profiles
Administrative responsibilities
- Head of School of Psychological Sciences
Professional memberships
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British Neuroscience Association (BNA).
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Experimental Psychology Society (EPS).
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European Low Gravity Research Association (ELGRA).
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UK Space Life and Biomedical Sciences Association (UKSpaceLABS).
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International Society for Gravitational Physiology (ISGP).
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Space Academic Network (SPAN).
Honours and awards
- Research Prize European Low Gravity Research Association, August 2017
ORCID
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Research
Research
Research interests
- Vestibular Neuroscience
- Gravity & Cognition
- Space Adaptation
Research overview
At the core of my work is a fundamental question: how does gravity shape human cognition?
The vestibular system originates in a sophisticated set of sensory organs in the inner ear. Three orthogonal semicircular canals sense rotational acceleration of the head in three-dimensional space, while the vestibular otoliths sense translational acceleration, including the orientation of the head relative to gravity. Traditionally, this system was considered relevant only to low-level reflex behaviours such as eye movement control, postural control, balance, and orientation. My research has challenged that view, demonstrating that vestibular signals play a crucial role across a surprisingly broad range of functions - from sensorimotor control to the highest levels of perception and conscious awareness.
That insight drives my work in space. By studying how the brain responds to non-terrestrial gravities, I aim to understand - and ultimately predict - how cognition change during long-duration spaceflight.
My approach is integrative and interdisciplinary, combining experimental psychology, cognitive neuroscience, vestibular physiology, computational modelling, and space science. Using behavioural paradigms alongside neuroimaging techniques including EEG and fMRI, I map the neural mechanisms through which gravity shapes human experience.
My research is funded by the British Academy, the Royal Society, the Leverhulme Trust, the Menière's Society, the BIAL Foundation, the European Low Gravity Research Association (ELGRA), the Japan National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, UKRI, and the European Space Agency (ESA).
Lab information
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Supervision and teaching
Supervision and teaching
Supervision
I welcome enquiries from prospective PhD students interested in any of my areas of research. If you are considering applying, please get in touch by email with a brief description of your research interests and your CV.
Current doctoral researchers
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HELENE GRANDCHAMP DES RAUX
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MARYAM HAQ
Teaching
Teaching modules
- Sensorimotor Processes and Attention
- Behavioural Neuroscience
- Introduction to Neuroscience
- Methods in Natural Sciences I
- Structure and Measurement of the Human Brain
- Project BSc Psychology
- Neuropsychology
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Publications
Publications
Article
- Cadete, Denise and Marino, V.P. and Ferre, Elisa Raffaella and Longo, Matthew (2025) Perceived hand size and perceived hand weight. Cognition 254, ISSN 0010-0277.
- Monsen, S. and Walsh, Eamonn and Cadete, Denise and Garrido, L. and Ferre, Elisa Raffaella and Longo, Matthew (2025) The Face Size Illusion is specific to human faces. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology ISSN 1747-0218. (In Press)
- Cadete, Denise and Young, P. and Hallett, B. and Ferre, Elisa Raffaella and Longo, Matthew (2025) Underestimation of human hand density. Cortex ISSN 0010-9452. (In Press)
- Myga, Kasia A. and Azañón, E. and Ambroziak, K.B. and Ferre, Elisa Raffaella and Longo, Matthew (2024) Haptic experience of bodies alters body perception. Perception 53 (10), pp. 716-729. ISSN 0301-0066.
- Tucciarelli, Raffaele and Ferre, Elisa Raffaella and Amoruso, Elena and Azanon Gracia, Elena and Longo, Matthew (2023) Gravitational and Retinal Reference Frames Shape Spatial Memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General ISSN 0096-3445.
- Ferre, Elisa and Joel, Jonathan and Cadete, Denise and Longo, Matthew (2023) Systematic Underestimation of Human Hand Weight. Current Biology 33 (14), pp. R758-R759. ISSN 0960-9822.
- Arshad, I. and De Mello, P. and Ender, M. and McEwen, J. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella (2022) Reducing cybersickness in 360-degree virtual reality. Multisensory Research 35 (2), pp. 203-219. ISSN 2213-4808.
- Pavlidou, A. and Lange, J. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella (2022) Human movements don’t look the same in a tilted world: gravitational constraints influence the perception of biological motion. European Journal of Neuroscience ISSN 0953-816X.
- Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Alsmith, A.J.T. and Haggard, P. and Longo, Matthew (2021) The vestibular system modulates the contributions of head and torso to egocentric spatial judgements. Experimental Brain Research 239, pp. 2295-2302. ISSN 0014-4819.
- Gallagher, M. and Kearney, B. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella (2021) Where is my hand in space? The internal model of gravity influences proprioception. Biology Letters 17 (6), pp. 20210115. ISSN 1744-9561.
- De Maio, G. and Bottini, G. and Ferré, Elisa Raffaella (2021) Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation influences risk-taking behaviour. Neuropsychologia 160, pp. 107965. ISSN 0028-3932.
- Longo, Matthew R. and Rajapakse, S.S. and Alsmith, A.J.T. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella (2020) Shared contributions of the head and torso to spatial reference frames across spatial judgments. Cognition 204 (104349), ISSN 0010-0277.
- Beck, B. and Saramandi, A. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Haggard, P. (2020) Which way is down? Visual and tactile verticality perception in expert dancers and non-experts. Neuropsychologia 146, pp. 107546. ISSN 0028-3932.
- Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Haggard, P. (2020) Vestibular cognition: state-of-the-art and future directions. Cognitive Neuropsychology 37 (7-8), pp. 413-420. ISSN 0264-3294.
- Gallagher, M. and Torok, A. and Klaas, J. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella (2020) Gravity prior in human behaviour: a perceptual or semantic phenomenon?. Experimental Brain Research 238 (9), pp. 1957-1962. ISSN 0014-4819.
- Gallagher, M. and Choi, R. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella (2020) Multisensory interactions in Virtual Reality: optic flow reduces vestibular sensitivity, but only for congruent planes of motion. Multisensory Research 33 (6), pp. 625-644. ISSN 2213-4808.
- Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Frett, T. and Haggard, P. and Longo, Matthew R. (2019) A gravitational contribution to perceived body weight. Scientific Reports 9 (11448), ISSN 2045-2322.
- Cataldo, A. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Haggard, P. (2019) Thermonociceptive interaction: interchannel pain modulation occurs before intrachannel convergence of warmth. Journal of Neurophysiology 121 (5), pp. 1798-1808. ISSN 0022-3077.
- Cataldo, A. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and di Pellegrino, G. and Haggard, P. (2019) Why the whole is more than the sum of its parts: salience-driven overestimation in aggregated tactile sensations. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology 72 (10), pp. 2509-2526. ISSN 1747-0218.
- Gallagher, M. and Arshad, I. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella (2019) Gravity modulates behaviour control strategy. Experimental Brain Research 237 (4), pp. 989-994. ISSN 0014-4819.
- Gallagher, M. and Dowsett, R. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella (2019) Vection in virtual reality modulates vestibular‐evoked myogenic potentials. European Journal of Neuroscience 50 (10), pp. 3557-3565. ISSN 0953-816X.
- Pavlidou, A. and Gallagher, M. and Lopez, C. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella (2019) Let's share our perspectives, but only if our body postures match. Cortex 119, pp. 575-579. ISSN 0010-9452.
- Torok, A. and Gallagher, M. and Lasbareilles, C. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella (2019) Getting ready for Mars: how the brain perceives new simulated gravitational environments. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology 72 (9), pp. 2342-2349. ISSN 1747-0218.
- Sadibolova, Renata and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Linkenauger, S.A. and Longo, Matthew R. (2018) Distortions of perceived volume and length of body parts. Cortex 111, pp. 74-86. ISSN 0010-9452.
- Abekawa, N. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Gallagher, M. and Gomi, H. and Haggard, P. (2018) Disentangling the visual, motor and representational effects of vestibular input. Cortex 104, pp. 46-57. ISSN 0010-9452.
- Cabolis, K. and Steinberg, A. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella (2018) Somatosensory modulation of perceptual vestibular detection. Experimental Brain Research 236 (3), pp. 859-865. ISSN 0014-4819.
- Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Iannetti, G.D. and van Dijk, J.A. and Haggard, P. (2018) Ineffectiveness of tactile gating shows cortical basis of nociceptive signaling in the Thermal Grill Illusion. Scientific Reports 8 (1), ISSN 2045-2322.
- Gallagher, M. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella (2018) Cybersickness: a multisensory integration perspective. Multisensory Research 31 (7), pp. 645-674. ISSN 2213-4808.
- Gallagher, M. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella (2018) The aesthetics of verticality: a gravitational contribution to aesthetic preference. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology 71 (12), pp. 2655-2664. ISSN 1747-0218.
- Ganos, C. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Marotta, A. and Kassavetis, P. and Rothwell, J. and Bhatia, K. and Haggard, P. (2018) Cortical inhibitory function in cervical dystonia. Clinical Neurophysiology 129 (2), pp. 466-472. ISSN 1388-2457.
- Pavlidou, A. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Lopez, C. (2018) Vestibular stimulation makes people more egocentric. Cortex 101, pp. 302-305. ISSN 0010-9452.
- Alsmith, A.J.T. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Longo, Matthew R. (2017) Dissociating contributions of head and torso to spatial reference frames: the misalignment paradigm. Consciousness and Cognition 53, pp. 105-114. ISSN 1053-8100.
- Kao, C.-L. and Török, Á. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Kokkinara, E. and Csépe, V. and Swapp, D. and Haggard, P. (2017) Up, down, near, far: an online vestibular contribution to distance judgement. PLoS One 12 (1), pp. e0169990. ISSN 1932-6203.
- Cataldo, A. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and di Pellegrino, G. and Haggard, P. (2016) Thermal referral: evidence for a thermoceptive uniformity illusion without touch. Scientific Reports 6 (1), ISSN 2045-2322.
- Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Sahani, M. and Haggard, P. (2016) Subliminal stimulation and somatosensory signal detection. Acta Psychologica 170, pp. 103-111. ISSN 0001-6918.
- Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Haggard, P. (2016) The vestibular body: vestibular contributions to bodily representations. Cognitive Neuropsychology 33 (1-2), pp. 67-81. ISSN 0264-3294.
- Kaliuzhna, M. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Herbelin, B. and Blanke, O. and Haggard, P. (2016) Multisensory effects on somatosensation: a trimodal visuo-vestibular-tactile interaction. Scientific Reports 6 (1), ISSN 2045-2322.
- Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Harris, L. (2015) Introduction to Vestibular Cognition Special Issue: Progress in Vestibular Cognition. Multisensory Research 28 (5-6), pp. 393-396. ISSN 2213-4808.
- Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Haggard, P. (2015) Vestibular–somatosensory interactions: a mechanism in search of a function?. Multisensory Research 28 (5-6), pp. 559-579. ISSN 2213-4794.
- Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Haggard, P. and Bottini, G. and Iannetti, G.D. (2015) Caloric vestibular stimulation modulates nociceptive evoked potentials. Experimental Brain Research 233 (12), pp. 3393-3401. ISSN 0014-4819.
- Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Ganos, C. and Bhatia, K. and Haggard, P. (2015) Feedforward somatosensory inhibition is normal in cervical dystonia. Parkinsonism & Related Disorders 21 (3), pp. 266-270. ISSN 1353-8020.
- Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Walther, L.E. and Haggard, P. (2015) Multisensory interactions between vestibular, visual and somatosensory signals. PLoS One 10 (4), pp. e0124573. ISSN 1932-6203.
- Ferre, Elisa Raffaella and Berlot, E. and Haggard, P. (2015) Vestibular contributions to a right-hemisphere network for bodily awareness: combining galvanic vestibular stimulation and the “Rubber Hand Illusion”. Neuropsychologia 69, pp. 140-147. ISSN 0028-3932.
- Marotta, A. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Haggard, P. (2015) Transforming the Thermal Grill Effect by crossing the fingers. Current Biology 25 (8), pp. 1069-1073. ISSN 0960-9822.
- Canzoneri, E. and Ferre, Elisa Raffaella and Haggard, P. (2014) Combining proprioception and touch to compute spatial information. Experimental Brain Research 232 (4), pp. 1259-1266. ISSN 0014-4819.
- Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Lopez, C. and Haggard, P. (2014) Anchoring the self to the body: vestibular contribution to the sense of self. Psychological Science 25 (11), pp. 2106-2108. ISSN 0956-7976.
- Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Kaliuzhna, M. and Herbelin, B. and Haggard, P. and Blanke, O. (2014) Vestibular-somatosensory interactions: effects of passive whole-body rotation on somatosensory detection. PLoS One 9 (1), pp. e86379. ISSN 1932-6203.
- Fiori, F. and Sedda, A. and Ferre, Elisa Raffaella and Toraldo, A. and Querzola, M. and Pasotti, F. and Ovadia, D. and Piroddi, C. and Dell'Aquila, R. and Redaelli, T. and Bottini, G. (2014) Motor imagery in spinal cord injury patients: moving makes the difference. Journal of Neuropsychology 8 (2), pp. 199-215. ISSN 1748-6645.
- Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Vagnoni, Eleonora and Haggard, P. (2013) Vestibular contributions to bodily awareness. Neuropsychologia 51 (8), pp. 1445-1452. ISSN 0028-3932.
- Bottini, G. and Gandola, M. and Sedda, A. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella (2013) Caloric vestibular stimulation: interaction between somatosensory system and vestibular apparatus. Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience 7, ISSN 1662-5145.
- Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Arthur, K. and Haggard, P. (2013) Galvanic vestibular stimulation increases novelty in free selection of manual actions. Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience 7, ISSN 1662-5145.
- Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Vagnoni, E. and Haggard, P. (2013) Galvanic vestibular stimulation influences randomness of number generation. Experimental Brain Research 224 (2), pp. 233-241. ISSN 0014-4819.
- Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Day, B. and Bottini, G. and Haggard, P. (2013) How the vestibular system interacts with somatosensory perception: A sham-controlled study with galvanic vestibular stimulation. Neuroscience Letters 550, pp. 35-40. ISSN 0304-3940.
- Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Bottini, G. and Iannetti, G.D. and Haggard, P. (2013) The balance of feelings: vestibular modulation of bodily sensations. Cortex 49 (3), pp. 748-758. ISSN 0010-9452.
- Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Longo, M. and Fiori, F. and Haggard, P. (2013) Vestibular modulation of spatial perception. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 7, ISSN 1662-5161.
- Fiori, F. and Sedda, A. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Toraldo, A. and Querzola, M. and Pasotti, F. and Ovadia, D. and Piroddi, C. and Dell’Aquila, R. and Lunetta, C. and Corbo, M. and Bottini, G. (2013) Exploring motor and visual imagery in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Experimental Brain Research 226 (4), pp. 537-547. ISSN 0014-4819.
- Sedda, A. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Striemer, C. and Bottini, G. (2013) Neglect’s perspective on the Ponzo illusion. Experimental Brain Research 227 (4), pp. 487-496. ISSN 0014-4819.
- Arduino, L.S. and Marinelli, C.V. and Pasotti, F. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Bottini, G. (2012) Representational neglect for words as revealed by bisection tasks. Journal of Neuropsychology 6 (1), pp. 43-64. ISSN 1748-6645.
- Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Bottini, G. and Haggard, P. (2012) Vestibular inputs modulate somatosensory cortical processing. Brain Structure and Function 217 (4), pp. 859-864. ISSN 1863-2653.
- Gandola, M. and Invernizzi, P. and Sedda, A. and Ferre, Elisa Raffaella and Sterzi, R. and Sberna, M. and Paulesu, E. and Bottini, G. (2012) An anatomical account of somatoparaphrenia. Cortex 48 (9), pp. 1165-1178. ISSN 0010-9452.
- Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Sedda, A. and Gandola, M. and Bottini, G. (2011) How the vestibular system modulates tactile perception in normal subjects: a behavioural and physiological study. Experimental Brain Research 208 (1), pp. 29-38. ISSN 0014-4819.
- Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Bottini, G. and Haggard, P. (2011) Vestibular modulation of somatosensory perception. European Journal of Neuroscience 34 (8), pp. 1337-1344. ISSN 0953-816X.
- Bottini, G. and Sedda, A. and Ferrè, Elisa Raffaella and Invernizzi, P. and Gandola, M. and Paulesu, E. (2009) Productive symptoms in right brain damage. Current Opinion in Neurology 22 (6), pp. 589-593. ISSN 1350-7540.
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Business and community
Business and community
Media
I am happy to receive enquiries from the media on the following topics:
- Human Space Exploration.
- Human brain and behaviour in non-terrestrial gravity.
- Vestibular System, Vertigo, Balance.
Outreach
Art/Science Project: VESTIBULAR_1
Art/Science Project: The Zero Gravity Band
Media: This is your brain on space: how gravity influences your mental abilities - BBC Science Focus
Media: The Psychologist "Understanding gravity’s brain effects key to human space success"
Media: The next small step - New Scientist
Media: What happens to the brain in space? - BBC Science Focus Podcast
Public Engagement Project: Neuroscience for Kids @Neuromatch 4.0
Public Engagement Project: SPACE YOGA by Guerilla Science
Public Engagement Project: The Future of Space Medicine
Public Engagement Project: UN Office for Outer Space Affairs - Webinar Life Science Physiology