Faces convey socially useful information such as identity, sex, race and emotion. How do we tell who someone is and how can we tell what they are feeling? How do we do this when the incoming visual information is constantly changing with viewpoint and lighting? And how might our ability to recognise faces and facial expressions of emotion affect social functioning? My research is in the area of visual cognition and focuses on the perceptual, cognitive, and social processes involved in face recognition. Face recognition is a fundamental social skill, but it is also critical for information, community (policing), and border security. My research aims to understand how the human visual system achieves face recognition in challenging conditions, which in turn will benefit special populations, professional groups and computer algorithm development.