Professor David Whitaker
(he/him)
BSc PhD MCOptom
Professor of Vision Science
Overview
I am a registered Optometrist and have taught at Aston University and the University of Bradford before arriving at Cardiff University in 2015. I became Dean and Head of the School of Healthcare Sciences, the largest undergraduate School at Cardiff, in early 2018. In 2024 I returned to the School of Optometry and Vision Science. I have extensive experience of REF panels, having been an advisor to RAE2008 and a full panel member in REF2014 and REF2021. I am the proud recipient of the Association of Optometrists Lifetime Achievement Award 2024.
Publication
2022
- Wong, A. et al. 2022. A composite system based upon hydroxypropyl cyclodextrins and soft hydrogel contact lenses for the delivery of therapeutic doses of econazole to the cornea, in vitro. Pharmaceutics 14(8), article number: e1631. (10.3390/pharmaceutics14081631)
2020
- Motala, A., Heron, J., McGraw, P. V., Roach, N. W. and Whitaker, D. 2020. Temporal rate is not a distinct perceptual metric. Scientific Reports 10, article number: 8654. (10.1038/s41598-020-64984-4)
- Morgan, S. R. et al. 2020. Controlled in vitro delivery of voriconazole and diclofenac to the cornea using contact lenses for the treatment of Acanthamoeba keratitis. International Journal of Pharmaceutics 579, article number: 119102. (10.1016/j.ijpharm.2020.119102)
- Hewitt, M. G. et al. 2020. In Vitro Topical Delivery of Chlorhexidine to the Cornea: Enhancement Using Drug-Loaded Contact Lenses and β-Cyclodextrin Complexation, and the Importance of Simulating Tear Irrigation. Molecular Pharmaceutics 17(4), pp. 1428-1441. (10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.0c00140)
2019
- Heron, J., Fulcher, C., Collins, H., Whitaker, D. and Roach, N. W. 2019. Adaptation reveals multi-stage coding of visual duration. Scientific Reports 9(1), article number: 3016. (10.1038/s41598-018-37614-3)
- Bowden, J., Whitaker, D. and Dunn, M. J. 2019. The role of peripheral vision in the flashed face distortion effect. Perception 48(1), pp. 93-101. (10.1177/0301006618817419)
2018
- Motala, A., Heron, J., McGraw, P. V., Roach, N. W. and Whitaker, D. 2018. Rate after-effects fail to transfer cross-modally: Evidence for distributed sensory timing mechanisms. Scientific Reports 8, article number: 924. (10.1038/s41598-018-19218-z)
2017
- Roach, N. W., McGraw, P. V., Whitaker, D. J. and Heron, J. 2017. Generalization of prior information for rapid Bayesian time estimation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114(2), pp. 412-417. (10.1073/pnas.1610706114)
2016
- Fulcher, C., McGraw, P. V., Roach, N. W., Whitaker, D. and Heron, J. 2016. Object size determines the spatial spread of visual time. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 283(1835), article number: 20161024. (10.1098/rspb.2016.1024)
- Murai, Y., Whitaker, D. and Yotsumoto, Y. 2016. The centralized and distributed nature of adaptation-induced misjudgments of time. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences 8, pp. 117-123. (10.1016/j.cobeha.2016.02.011)
- Foster, R. J., Buckley, J. G., Whitaker, D. and Elliott, D. B. 2016. The addition of stripes (a version of the ‘horizontal-vertical illusion’) increases foot clearance when crossing low-height obstacles. Ergonomics 59(7), pp. 884-889. (10.1080/00140139.2015.1105304)
2015
- Foster, R. J., Whitaker, D., Scally, A. J., Buckley, J. G. and Elliott, D. B. 2015. What you see is what you step: the Horizontal-Vertical illusion increases toe clearance in older adults during stair ascent. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science 56(5), pp. 2950-2957. (10.1167/iovs.14-16018)
Articles
- Wong, A. et al. 2022. A composite system based upon hydroxypropyl cyclodextrins and soft hydrogel contact lenses for the delivery of therapeutic doses of econazole to the cornea, in vitro. Pharmaceutics 14(8), article number: e1631. (10.3390/pharmaceutics14081631)
- Motala, A., Heron, J., McGraw, P. V., Roach, N. W. and Whitaker, D. 2020. Temporal rate is not a distinct perceptual metric. Scientific Reports 10, article number: 8654. (10.1038/s41598-020-64984-4)
- Morgan, S. R. et al. 2020. Controlled in vitro delivery of voriconazole and diclofenac to the cornea using contact lenses for the treatment of Acanthamoeba keratitis. International Journal of Pharmaceutics 579, article number: 119102. (10.1016/j.ijpharm.2020.119102)
- Hewitt, M. G. et al. 2020. In Vitro Topical Delivery of Chlorhexidine to the Cornea: Enhancement Using Drug-Loaded Contact Lenses and β-Cyclodextrin Complexation, and the Importance of Simulating Tear Irrigation. Molecular Pharmaceutics 17(4), pp. 1428-1441. (10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.0c00140)
- Heron, J., Fulcher, C., Collins, H., Whitaker, D. and Roach, N. W. 2019. Adaptation reveals multi-stage coding of visual duration. Scientific Reports 9(1), article number: 3016. (10.1038/s41598-018-37614-3)
- Bowden, J., Whitaker, D. and Dunn, M. J. 2019. The role of peripheral vision in the flashed face distortion effect. Perception 48(1), pp. 93-101. (10.1177/0301006618817419)
- Motala, A., Heron, J., McGraw, P. V., Roach, N. W. and Whitaker, D. 2018. Rate after-effects fail to transfer cross-modally: Evidence for distributed sensory timing mechanisms. Scientific Reports 8, article number: 924. (10.1038/s41598-018-19218-z)
- Roach, N. W., McGraw, P. V., Whitaker, D. J. and Heron, J. 2017. Generalization of prior information for rapid Bayesian time estimation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114(2), pp. 412-417. (10.1073/pnas.1610706114)
- Fulcher, C., McGraw, P. V., Roach, N. W., Whitaker, D. and Heron, J. 2016. Object size determines the spatial spread of visual time. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 283(1835), article number: 20161024. (10.1098/rspb.2016.1024)
- Murai, Y., Whitaker, D. and Yotsumoto, Y. 2016. The centralized and distributed nature of adaptation-induced misjudgments of time. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences 8, pp. 117-123. (10.1016/j.cobeha.2016.02.011)
- Foster, R. J., Buckley, J. G., Whitaker, D. and Elliott, D. B. 2016. The addition of stripes (a version of the ‘horizontal-vertical illusion’) increases foot clearance when crossing low-height obstacles. Ergonomics 59(7), pp. 884-889. (10.1080/00140139.2015.1105304)
- Foster, R. J., Whitaker, D., Scally, A. J., Buckley, J. G. and Elliott, D. B. 2015. What you see is what you step: the Horizontal-Vertical illusion increases toe clearance in older adults during stair ascent. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science 56(5), pp. 2950-2957. (10.1167/iovs.14-16018)
Biography
March 2024 - present Professor of Vision Science, Cardiff University
March 2018 - March 2024 Dean and Head of Healthcare Sciences, Cardiff University
September 2015 - March 2018 Professor of Vision Science, Cardiff University
April 2000 - September 2015 Professor of Vision Science, Department of Optometry, University of Bradford
September 1996 - March 2000 Reader, Department of Optometry, University of Bradford
January 1995 - August 1996 Senior Lecturer, Department of Optometry, University of Bradford
September 1987 - December 1994 Lecturer, Aston University
Honours and awards
2005-2010 Vice President, Association of Optometrists
2008 Specialist Advisor to RAE2008 UoA12b, UK Higher Education Funding Council
2010 - 2016 Honorary Visiting Professor, University of Nottingham
2010 - 2014 Senior Vice President, Association of Optometrists
2014 Full panel member sub-panel 3, REF2014
2021 Full panel member UoA3, REF2021
Professional memberships
1985 - present Member of the College of Optometrists (MCOptom)
1985 - present Registration as an Optometrist with the General Optical Council (01-11837)
Contact Details
+44 29208 74703
Optometry and Vision Sciences, Room 3.28, Maindy Road, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ
Research themes
Specialisms
- visual perception
- multisensory perception
- time perception
- clinical vision science