Dr Nathan Lepora (Research Fellow)

Contact

Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TP, UK.

Email: n.lepora/at/sheffield.ac.uk

Summary

Personal website (CV, publications etc)

Research Interests

• optimal decision making
• active perception
• biomimetics (see our review)
• coI on CSN
• coI on EFAA
• program chair for Living Machines 2013

Publications

Unpublished

• Lepora N, Martinez U and Prescott T (2013), Active touch for robust perception under position uncertainty, IEEE proceedings of ICRA, in press.
• Martinez U, Dodd T, Natale L, Metta G, Prescott T and Lepora N (2013), Active contour following to explore object shape, IEEE World Haptics Conference, in press.

2013

• Lepora N, Verschure P and Prescott T (2013), The state of the art in biomimetics, Bioinspiration and Biomimetics , 8: 013001.
• Gurney K, Lepora N, Shah A, Koene A and Redgrave P (2013), Intrinsically motivated action discovery: A biologically constrained formalisation (in press), Intrinsically Motivated Learning in Natural and Artificial Systems, G Baldassarre and M Mirolli, editors, Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg..
• Evans M, Fox C, Lepora N, Pearson M, Sullivan JC and Prescott T (2013), The effect of whisker movement on radial distance estimation: a case study in comparative robotics, Frontiers in Neurorobotics, 6: 12.

2012

• Lepora N and Gurney K (2012), The basal ganglia optimize decision making over general perceptual hypotheses, Neural Computation, 24(11): 2924-2945.
• Lepora N, Martinez U, Barron H, Evans M, Metta G and Prescott T (2012), Embodied hyperacuity from Bayesian perception: Shape and position discrimination with an iCub fingertip , IEEE proceedings of IROS, 4638-4643.
• Lepora N, Sullivan JC, Mitchinson B, Pearson M, Gurney K and Prescott T (2012), Brain-inspired Bayesian perception for biomimetic robot touch, IEEE proceedings of ICRA, 5111-5116.
• Lepora N, Overton P and Gurney K (2012), Efficient fitting of conductance-based model neurons from somatic current clamp, Journal of Computational Neuroscience, 32(1): 1-24.
• Lepora N, Fox C, Evans M, Diamond M, Gurney K and Prescott T (2012), Optimal decision-making in mammals: insights from a robot study of rodent texture discrimination, Royal Society Interface , 9 (72): 1517-1528.
• Sullivan J, Mitchinson B, Pearson M, Evans M, Lepora N, Fox C, Melhuish C and Prescott T. (2012), Tactile Discrimination using Active Whisker Sensors, IEEE Sensors Journal, 12(2):350-362.
• Evans M, Pearson M, Lepora N, Prescott T and Fox C (2012), Whiskered texture classification with uncertain pose geometry , IEEE proceedings of IROS, 7-13.

2011

• Lepora N, Fox C, Evans M, Mitchinson B, Motiwala A, Sullivan J, Pearson M, Welsby J, Pipe T, Gurney K and Prescott T (2011), A general classifier of whisker data using stationary naïve Bayes: Application to BIOTACT robots, Springer LNCS proceedings of Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems (TAROS), 6856/2011:13-23.
• Fox C, Evans M, Lepora N, Pearson M, Hamm A and Prescott T (2011), Crunchbot: A mobile whiskered robot platform. , Springer LNCS proceedings of Towards Autonomous robotic systems (TAROS).
• Lepora N, Blomeley C, Hoyland D, Bracci P, Overton P and Gurney K (2011), A simple method for characterizing passive and active neuronal properties applied to striatal neurons, European Journal of Neuroscience, 34(9):1390-1405.
• Javier A. Caballero, Nathan Lepora and Kevin N. Gurney (2011), Sequential tests and biologically grounded multi-alternative decision making, BMC Neuroscience, 12(Suppl 1):P137.
• Motiwala A, Fox C, Lepora N and Prescott T. (2011), Sensing with artificial tactile sensors: An investigation of spatio-temporal inference, LNCS proceedings of Towards Autonomous robotic systems, 6856/2011:253-264.

2010

• Lepora N, Porrill J, Yeo C and Dean P (2010), Sensory prediction or motor control? Application of Marr-Albus type models of cerebellar function to classical conditioning, Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience.
• Anderson S, Lepora N, Porrill J and Dean P (2010), Nonlinear Dynamic Modelling of Isometric Force Production in Primate Eye Muscle , IEEE Trans Biomed Eng.
• Evans M, Fox C, Pearson M, Lepora N and Prescott T. (2010), Whisker-object contact speed affects radial distance estimation, Proceedings of 2010 International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics (ROBIO 2010)..
• Lepora N, Pearson M, Mitchinson B, Evans M, Fox C, Pipe T, Gurney K and Prescott T (2010), Naive Bayes novelty detection in a whiskered moving robot, IEEE procedings of International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics (ROBIO 2010).
• Lepora, N, M Evans, C. Fox, M.E. Diamond, K.N. Gurney and T.J. Prescott (2010), Naive Bayes texture classification applied to whisker data from a moving robot, IEEE World Congress on Computational Intelligence.

2009

• Humphries, M. D., Lepora, N., Wood, R. and Gurney, K. (2009), Capturing dopaminergic modulation and bimodal membrane behaviour of striatal medium spiny neurons in accurate, reduced models, Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience, 3:26. [Code]
• Lepora N, Porrill J, Evinger LC, Yeo C and Dean P (2009), Recruitment in Retractor Bulbi muscle during eyeblink conditioning: EMG Analysis and Common-drive model, Journal of Neurophysiology.
• Lepora, N,, P. Overton, and K.N. Gurney (2009), Efficient current-based optimization techniques for parameter estimation in multi-compartment neuronal models, BMC Neuroscience, 10 (1) 247.
• Humphries, M.D., N. Lepora, R. Wood, and K.N. Gurney (2009), Reduced models of striatal neurons: dopamine modulation and dynamics, BMC Neuroscience, 10, (1) 321.

2008

• Hoyland, D.S., N Lepora, R Wood, P.G. Overton, and K.N. Gurney (2008), Integrated data collection and automated parameter estimation in the construction of conductance-based models of neostriatal neurons, SfN 2008, Washington, Neuroscience Meeting Planner, Poster 694.4/UU65.

2007

• Lepora N, Porrill J, Yeo C and Dean P (2007), Contingency learning by an adaptive filter model of cerebellum in simulated eyeblink conditioning, Soc. Neurosci. Abstracts 33:636.11.
• Mavritsaki E, Lepora N, Porrill J, Yeo CH, Dean P. (2007), Response linearity determined by recruitment strategy in detailed model of nictitating membrane control, Biological Cybernetics.
• Dean P, Porrill J, Yeo C and Lepora N (2007), A computational model of adaptive blink modification by the cerebellum, Soc. Neurosci. Abstracts 33:190.7.
• Lepora N, Mavritsaki E, Porrill J, Yeo CH, Evinger C, Dean P (2007), Evidence from retractor bulbi EMG for linearised motor control for the conditioned nictitating membrane response, Journal of Neurophysiology.

2006

• Lepora N, Yeo C, Evinger L, Porrill J, Dean P (2006), Simple recruitment model describes control of conditioned nictitating membrane responses by retractor bulbi muscle, Soc. Neurosci. Abstracts 32:345.16.

2005

• Lepora N, Mavritsaki E, Yeo C, Evinger L, Porrill J, Dean P (2005), Evidence for linearity in control of nictitating membrane by retractor bulbi motor units, Soc. Neurosci. Abstracts 31:869.3.