I’m Dr. Mai Helmy from Menoufia University (Egypt) I got my PhD from Liverpool University at 2012. My supervisor is Dr. Marco Bertamini. I spent four years away from home! This period is one of the most shining periods in my life; to live and study in the United Kingdom and especially in Liverpool ” capital of culture 2008”.
My research has a long standing basis in shape perception including, symmetry, curvature, convexity, and concavity, and aesthetics work especially cross culturally ”Individual Differences in Aesthetic experience”. This collaboration now in the aesthetics work with Dr. Alex Forsythe and Dr. Nichola Street opening a new opportunity to me to let know the world what is the aesthetics work in Egypt ” Land of the Pharaohs” across cultural studies. We start to have a great leaps in this filed because it is a unique research in Egypt to know what is the beauty in the Egyptian society and how is the Egyptian response to the aesthetics works and what is the difference between the Eastern and the Western on the perceptual responses to visual complexity.
One example, we run one of the most interesting papers about the preference responses to fractal dimension and visual complexity, using a large participant from around the world to allow universality claims to be tested. Our results show that individual differences can reliably predict preferences for complexity across culture, gender and age as expected cultural is the key factor. This demands us to demonstrated us to says that ” Aesthetics a Cross-Cultural Concept”. My hope is to continue my research in the field of shape perception and aesthetics work especially cross culturally because our team work has brilliant ideas to study between United Kingdom and Egypt.
A contribution by Mai Helmy, Lecturer from Menoufia University, for PsychLiverpool.
