Dr Yamamoto is an experimental psychologist who is primarily interested in cognitive and neural mechanisms of human spatial navigation. He first studied urban planning and earned bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering from the University of Tokyo, Japan. He developed scientific interest in human spatial cognition and navigation through his urban planning research, and decided to pursue an academic career in cognitive psychology and neuroscience. He obtained an MA in psychology and a PhD in psychological and brain sciences from the Johns Hopkins University, USA.

Prior to joining the QUT academic staff in 2014, he was an assistant professor of psychology at Cleveland State University, USA and a postdoctoral scientist in psychology at the George Washington University, USA. For more information, please see Dr Yamamoto's CV.