'This came out of the blue for me. It is a great honour'

Psychologist David Perrett is one of 35 professors to be elected fellow of the British Academy

Psychologist David Perrett, head of St Andrews University's perception laboratory, is one of 35 professors to be elected fellow of the British Academy.

"This came out of the blue for me," he said. "It is a great honour."

Professor Perrett graduated in psychology from St Andrews and took a DPhil at Oxford University before returning to his alma mater in 1981 as a researcher in brain mechanisms. His laboratory investigates perceptions of the human face.

Professor Perrett received the British Psychological Society President's Award in 2000 and the Minerva Foundation's Golden Brain Award in 2002.