Research Interests
Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing Criminology Decision Making Forensic Psychology Human Factors Human Information Behaviour Innovation and Technology Management Operations Research Organisational Behaviour Pattern Recognition and Data Mining Police Administration, Procedures and Practice Psychological Methodology, Design and Analysis Psychology and Cognitive Sciences Signal Processing Strategic, Defence & Security Studies TechnologyRebecca Heyer
School of Psychology
College of Education, Behavioural and Social Sciences
I have been a title holder at the University since 2013. I supervise students in the Honours, Master of Psychology (Organisational & Human Factors), and PhD programs, and teach into the PSYCHOL7336 Human Factors course.My main interests lie in applied research in the areas of facial recognition/facial comparison, human identification/identity intelligence, forensic comparison science, bias and bias mitigation, video and behavioural analytics, social network analysis, and, more broadly, cognitive, human factors and forensic psychology.
My main interests lie in applied research in the areas of facial recognition/facial comparison, human identification/identity intelligence, forensic comparison science, bias and bias mitigation, social network analysis, behavioural analytics, human aspects of national security and, more broadly, cognitive, human factors and forensic psychology.
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 - ongoing | Group Leader Identity Intelligence | Defence Science and Technology Group |
| 2020 - 2020 | Group Leader Biometrics | Defence Science and Technology Group |
| 2019 - ongoing | Adjunct Senior Lecturer | University of Adelaide |
| 2017 - 2020 | Discipline Leader Biometrics | Defence Science and Technology Group |
| 2014 - 2015 | Acting National Security Program Manager | Defence Science and Technology Group |
| 2013 - 2019 | Visiting Research Fellow | University of Adelaide |
| 2007 - 2017 | Science Team Leader Biometrics | Defence Science and Technology Group |
| 2000 - 2007 | Behavioural and Human Sciences Analyst | Defence Science and Technology Group |
| 1999 - 1999 | Graduate Research Assistant | Department of Defence |
| 1996 - 1999 | Research Assistant | University of Adelaide |
| Date | Type | Title | Institution Name | Country | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Achievement | Frank Dalziel Prize for Best PhD Thesis | University of Adelaide | Australia | - |
| 2013 | Achievement | Deans Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence | University of Adelaide | Australia | - |
| 2013 | Distinction | Australia Day Medallion | Australian Government | Australia | - |
| 2012 | Award | Best Paper | Australia and New Zealand Forensic Science Society | - | - |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 - 2017 | University of Melbourne, Melbourne | Australia | Graduate Certificate in Scientific Leadership |
| 2009 - 2013 | University of Adelaide | Australia | PhD |
| 2002 - 2003 | UNSW (ADFA) | Australia | Graduate Certificate in Defence Operations Research |
| 1996 - 1998 | Charles Sturt University | Australia | Master of Social Science (Criminology) |
| 1995 - 1995 | University of Adelaide | Australia | Bachelor of Science (Hons) |
| 1992 - 1994 | University of Adelaide | Australia | Bachelor of Health Sciences |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2019 | Heyer, R. L., Chong, C., & Semmler, C. (2019). Facial image comparisons of morphed facial imagery. Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences, 51(Suppl. 1), 1-5. |
| 2019 | Michalski, D., Heyer, R., & Semmler, C. (2019). The performance of practitioners conducting facial comparisons on images of children across age. PLoS ONE, 14(11), e0225298-1-e0225298-17. Scopus4 WoS4 Europe PMC2 |
| 2018 | Heyer, R., Semmler, C. A., & Hendrickson, A. (2018). Humans and algorithms for facial recognition: the effects of candidate list length and experience on performance. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 7(4), 597-609. Scopus13 WoS11 |
| 2018 | Phillips, P. J., Heyer, R., & Michalski, D. (2018). Effectiveness of a Facial Forensic Training Course. Journal of Vision, 18(10), 560. |
| 2013 | Heyer, R., & Semmler, C. (2013). Forensic confirmation bias: the case of facial image comparison. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 2(1), 68-70. Scopus14 WoS12 |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Heyer, R. L. (2015). Technology and Cognitive Bias. In A. Jamieson, & A. A. Moenssens (Eds.), Wiley Encyclopedia of Forensic Science (pp. 1-6). Wiley. DOI |
| 2011 | Graves, I., Butavicius, M., MacLeod, V., Heyer, R., Parsons, K., Kuester, N., . . . Johnson, R. (2011). The Role of the Human Operator in Image-Based Airport Security Technologies. In Lakhmi C. Jain, Eugene V. Aidman, Canicious Abeynayake (Ed.), Innovations in Defence Support Systems - 2 (Vol. 338, pp. 147-176). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. DOI Scopus20 |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2019 | Heyer, R. L. (2019). Morph detection by humans: an Australian perspective. In Report on the International Conference on Biometrics for Borders. Warsaw, Poland. |
| 2018 | Heyer, R. L., Espina Navarro, S., Semmler, C., Aquilina, P., & MacLeod, V. (2018). How Can We Improve Detection of Fake Faces?. In International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences (ANZFSS2018). Perth, Western Australia. |
| 2017 | Heyer, R. L., Espina Navarro, S., Chong, C., & Semmler, C. (2017). How good are we at detecting and matching morphed faces?. In Biometrics Congress 2017. London, UK. |
| 2017 | Michalski, D., McLindin, B., Semmler, C., & Heyer, R. (2017). The impact of ageing on facial comparisons with images of children conducted by humans and automated systems. In International Conference of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition. |
| 2017 | Semmler, C. A., Hendrickson, A., Ma-Wyatt, A., & Heyer, R. (2017). Using response time models to understand unfamiliar face matching expertise. In Australian Mathematical Psychology Conference. Brisbane Queensland. |
| 2017 | Heyer, R. L., Lee, H., Calleja, J., Vu, L., Semmler, C., Hanton, K., & MacLeod, V. (2017). Challenging imagery: contrasting human facial image comparison and facial recognition algorithm performance. In International Conference of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition. Sydney. |
| 2017 | Heyer, R. L., Michalski, D., Lee, H., Calleja, J., & Vu, L. (2017). Vulnerabilities in face recognition. In Unfamiliar Facial Identification Group Conference. Sydney. |
| 2017 | Semmler, C., Heyer, R. L., Hendrickson, D., & Ma-Wyatt, A. (2017). Modelling expertise in unfamiliar face matching. In Unfamiliar Facial Identification Group Conference. Sydney. |
| 2016 | Heyer, R. L., Calleja, J., & Semmler, C. (2016). Facial image comparison: the impact of image quality and image restoration techniques on performance. In International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences (ANZFSS’16). Auckland, New Zealand. |
| 2016 | Heyer, R. L., Lee, H., Vu, L., & Semmler, C. (2016). Facial image comparison: the impact of plastic surgery on performance. In International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences (ANZFSS’16). Auckland, New Zealand. |
| 2016 | Michalski, D., Heyer, R., & Semmler, C. A. (2016). Facial comparisons with images of children: Human and algorithm performance. In Biometrics 2016. London, United Kingdom. |
| 2016 | Michalski, D., McLindin, B., Semmler, C., & Heyer, R. L. (2016). Facial image comparisons of children: How does the age of children in images affect human and algorithm performance?. In International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences (ANZFSS’16). Auckland, New Zealand. |
| 2016 | Heyer, R., Michalski, D., Lee, H., Kardos, M., & McLindin, B. (2016). An update of Defence Science and Technology Group's unfamiliar facial identification and facial recognition research. In Unfamiliar Facial Identification Group Conference. Sydney. |
| 2015 | Michalski, D., McLindin, B., Semmler, C., & Heyer, R. L. (2015). Is facial image comparison as effective for verifying children as it is adults in security applications?. In Florey International Postgraduate Research Conference. Adelaide. |
| 2015 | Stothard, C. F., Heyer, R., & Le Couteur, A. (2015). Modeling Army's organizational capacity to learn: "One size does not fit all". In Florey. Adelaide. |
| 2014 | Heyer, R. L., Kardos, M., Malec, C., Hanton, K., & McLindin, B. (2014). The Impact of Glasses on Facial Recognition System Performance: Focus on Human Perspectives. In Defence Human Sciences Symposium. Adelaide. |
| 2014 | Heyer, R. L., Michalski, D., Malec, C., & McLindin, B. (2014). Vulnerabilities of Facial Recognition: The Impact of Glasses and Ageing on Facial Recognition Performance. In Biometrics 2014. London. |
| 2014 | Michalski, D., McLindin, B., Heyer, R. L., & Semmler, C. (2014). Understanding how Age Affects Facial Matching Performance of Humans and Facial Recognition Systems: Requirements Collection from Whole of Government and Industry. In Defence Human Sciences Symposium,. Adelaide. |
| 2014 | Michalski, D., McLindin, B., Semmler, C., & Heyer, R. L. (2014). Examining the Performance of Human Operators and Automated Facial Recognition Systems for the Identification of Missing and Exploited Children. In International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences (ANZFSS’14). Adelaide. |
| 2014 | Malec, C., McLindin, B., Hanton, K., Heyer, R. L., Yiu, S., & Mayger, M. (2014). The Impact of Glasses on Facial Recognition. In International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences (ANZFSS’14). Adelaide. |
| 2014 | Forndran, A., Semmler, C., & Heyer, R. L. (2014). Reading between the lines? The role of forensic evidence reporting on juror understanding and decision making. In International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences (ANZFSS’14). Adelaide. |
| 2014 | Michalski, D., McLindin, B., Semmler, C., & Heyer, R. L. (2014). Empirically Examining the Impact of Age Related Variables on Facial Recognition Algorithms and Human Operators: A Methodological Primer. In 15th Biometrics Institute Asia Pacific Conference. Sydney. |
| 2013 | Heyer, R., Michalski, D., McLindin, B., & Nichols, G. (2013). An update on face related research.. In Unfamiliar Facial Identification Group Conference. |
| 2013 | Heyer, R. L., Semmler, C., & McLindin, B. (2013). Do facial recognition system decision aids improve one-to-many face matching performance?. In 14th Biometrics Institute Asia Pacific Conference. Sydney. |
| 2013 | Semmler, C., Heyer, R. L., Ma-Wyatt, A., & MacLeod, V. (2013). Understanding expertise in unfamiliar face matching. In Australasian Experimental Psychology Conference. Adelaide. |
| 2012 | Heyer, R. L., Semmler, C., & McLindin, B. (2012). One-to-Many Face Matching Using an Automated Facial Recognition System: The Impact of Decisions Aids on Performance. In International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences (ANZFSS’12). Hobart. |
| 2012 | Semmler, C., Heyer, R. L., Ma-Wyatt, A., & MacLeod, V. (2012). Impact of Individual Differences and Eye Movements on Facial Comparison Performance. In International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences (ANZFSS’12). Hobart. |
| 2012 | Heyer, R. L., Semmler, C., & McLindin, B. (2012). Decision Aids: Helpful or a Hindrance for Users of One-to-Many Face Facial Recognition System?. In Defence Human Sciences Symposium. Melbourne. |
| 2011 | Heyer, R. L., Semmler, C., & McLindin, B. (2011). One-to-many face matching: the impact of candidate list size and individual differences on performance. In International Conference of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition. New York. |
| 2011 | Heyer, R. L., Semmler, C., MacLeod, V., Calic, D., Ma-Wyatt, A., McLindin, B., & Hopley, L. (2011). Towards an Understanding of Facial Identification Practitioners in Australia: the Human Operator Capability Project. In 12th Biometrics Institute Asia Pacific Conference. Sydney. |
| 2010 | Heyer, R. L., Semmler, C., & McLindin, B. (2010). Identification using an automated facial recognition system: towards an understanding of human operator decision making. In International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences (ANZFSS’10). Sydney. |
| 2010 | Heyer, R. L., Calic, D., McLindin, B., MacLeod, V., Semmler, C., NIchols, G., & Nicholson, R. (2010). Update on Research in Biometrics at the DSTO: Focus on Facial Recognition. In nd Threats and Responses Conference, Safeguarding Australia 2010. Canberra. |
| 2009 | Heyer, R. L. (2009). Security through Science: Human Sciences Contributions to Biometrics Research. In Defence Human Sciences Symposium. Adelaide. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2020 | Clothier, E. S., Michalski, D., Semmler, C., & Heyer, R. (2020). How age impacts human performance on a 1:8 face matching task with images of children. Poster session presented at the meeting of Unfamiliar Facial Identification Group. Sydney, Australia. |
| 2020 | Heyer, R. L., & Kamenetsky, D. (2020). Can (or should) we use GAN faces for facial comparison training and testing?. Poster session presented at the meeting of Unfamiliar Facial Identification Group. |
| 2016 | Michalski, D., McLindin, B., Semmler, C., & Heyer, R. L. (2016). The impact of extending the validity of children’s passports from 5 to 10 years. Poster session presented at the meeting of Florey International Postgraduate Research Conference. Adelaide. |
| 2014 | Michalski, D. J., McLindin, B., Heyer, R., & Semmler, C. (2014). Whole of government and industry requirements collection: Understanding how the ageing variable affects facial comparison performance of humans and automated algorithms. Poster session presented at the meeting of Florey International Postgraduate Conference. |
| 2012 | Nichols, G., Heyer, R. L., Nicholson, R., & Michalski, D. (2012). Facial Identification at Long-range. Poster session presented at the meeting of International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences (ANZFSS’12). Hobart. |
| 2010 | McLindin, B., Heyer, R. L., MacLeod, V., & Calic, D. (2010). Focus on facial recognition. Poster session presented at the meeting of International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences (ANZFSS’10). Sydney. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2018 | O'Rielly, J., & Heyer, R. (2018). Forensic (Facial) Comparison: Linking the Science and Practice - Course Overview and Evaluation (DST-Group-GD-1002). |
| 2017 | Heyer, R., MacLeod, V., Carter, L., Semmler, C. A., & Ma-Wyatt, A. (2017). Profiling the Facial Comparison Practitioner in Australia (DST-Group-DG-xxxx). |
Understanding Human-Technology Interactions to Aid in the Use of Unconstrained Imagery for Identification and Surveillance. 2016 - 2017. $19,500. Interdisciplinary Research Fund, University of Adelaide.
Improving human operator capability for face biometric identification and recognition. 2010-2011, $70,000. Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet Research Support for National Security.
PSYCHOL7336 Human Factors
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 - 2018 | Co-Supervisor | Forensic Science and Juror Decision Making: Can Jurors Be Taught to Recognise Bias? | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Alexandre Benjamin Forndran |
| 2014 - 2021 | Principal Supervisor | What helps team learning? Egalitarianism, hardship, and leadership in Australian Army teams |
Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Ms Christina Frances Stothard |
| 2013 - 2017 | Co-Supervisor | The Impact of Age-Related Variables on Facial Comparisons with Images of Children: Algorithm and Practitioner Performance | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Dr Dana Jaclyn Michalski |
| Date | Role | Membership | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 - ongoing | Member | Australia & New Zealand Forensic Science Society | - |
| 2011 - ongoing | Member | Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition | - |
| 2008 - ongoing | Member | Biometrics Institute | - |
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