Tom is a cognitive scientist with a background in computer science and cybernetics. He works in the areas of artificial life, human-computer interaction, agent-based modeling, and philosophy of mind. He coordinates the Embodied Cognitive Science Unit, and is Editor-in-Chief of Adaptive Behavior.

Kaori helps us to run this unit smoothly. She manages our equipment purchases, travel and visits, workshops, and supports us in all of our activities. Please contact her with any requests you may have.

Mark's has a PhD in the philosophy of embodied cognitive science, a MA in philosophy and a BA in philosophy and psychology. His PhD work was focused on how culture is reproduced through embodied social interaction. Mark's postdoctoral efforts will focus on questions of wellbeing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, exploring the intersection between embodied cognitive science, design and digital technologies.

Finda has a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, M.Sc. in Biology of Human Performance and Health, and B.Sc. in Biology. She has a research background in Brain-Computer Interface, neurofeedback, and hyperscanning recording, and mostly worked around EEG. She joined the group to take part in the perceptual crossing hyperscanning EEG experiment and analyses.

Tomoki is a researcher at Suntory with a background in metabolic engineering and bioinformatics. At Suntory, he is working on improving the value of a healthcare app called "Gut Note," which measures gut sounds using a smartphone's microphone.

Stephen has a BSc in biomedical engineering and MEng in mechanical engineering. He has industry experience in reverse engineering. In this unit he will apply his mechanical engineering skills to support work with robotics and human-computer interfaces.

Brian served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force as an Aircraft Electrical and Environmental Systems Specialist before pursuing a BSc in Psychology. With a growing interest in embodied cognition, he joined the unit which aligns his passions and now works as Lead Technician. Brian plays a key role in coordinating unit projects and is a licensed pilot for the unit’s drone.

Tae is a certified medical translator. She supports the unit with ethics applications, participant recruitment, data collection and administration matters.

Chen Lam has a BSc in Biomedical Sciences and MSc in Computational Neuroscience and Neuroinformatics. His interests lie in multi-agent social interaction, non-representational theories of cognition and neurolinguistics. In this unit, he studies interpersonal synchrony using mathematical modelling and experimental approaches.

Ivan has a Bachelor's in Neurobiology and a Master's in Synthetic Biology and Biotechnology. During his rotation he will be setting up an evolutionary robotics environment to test the role of bodily degrees of freedom on the degrees of freedom of neural activity.

Natalya has a BSc in chemistry and MSc in theoretical chemistry. During her rotation she used network analysis to characterize active learning environments. In this unit she is studying the fundamental principles of learning and its relationship to emergent creativity in complex adaptive systems through computational modeling.

Shannon has a Bachelor's in Art, Psychology, and Neuroscience. Currently, Shannon is interested in cognition, especially ways to improve cognition, and comparative studies. During rotation Shannon will be participating in the Video Interactions project to study realtime social interactions.

Kazuma has a BSc and MSc in computer science. His interest is “Self-Dynamics” in the human-computer integration experience. He works on this topic through the demonstration and the psychophysical/cognitive experiment. He is not only a Ph.D. student at OIST, but also he is a Research Assistant of SonyCSL and a Visiting Researcher of Keio Media Design. He approaches his theme from various perspectives and aspires to work across disciplines.

Georgii has a combined BSc and MSc in theoretical astrophysics. Currently, his interests in intersection of astrobiology and artificial life.

Kensei obtained Bachelor’s in Engineering (Material Science) in 2020. His previous work was focused on developing autonomous robots and molecular computers using DNA as building blocks. After enrollment of OIST, his interest shifted to evolution of animal sociality and collective behavior. Under co-supervision by Dr.Tom Froese, Kensei is now studying macroscopic trends in social evolution of animals, exploring the relationship between brain development and animal behavior.

Ziwen holds an MEng in Aeronautical Engineering and a dual MSc/MA in Innovation Design Engineering. Her interests encompass human-computer interaction, accessible design, and sustainability. At ECSU, she is investigating the role of vibration as assistive feedback for navigation, examining the neural and behavioral foundations of sensory substitution to guide future accessible design solutions. Ziwen is contributing as an experimental protocol designer, data analyst, and engineer.

Ezequiel has recently earned his medical degree, with a thesis on disorders of consciousness attempting to identify potential EEG markers for the state of consciousness. He will begin his residency in Neurosurgery later this year. During his time at OIST, he is analysing EEG data from the perceptual crossing experiment, exploring possible neural correlates of behaviour. His ultimate goal is to integrate clinical practice with scientific research.

Mariana has a BSc in Social Sciences, which encompasses Sociology, Anthropology and Political Sciences. In the past she has worked in the market research industry and will join the unit to assist with human subjects research.

Alex completed his B.A. in Philosophy at the University of Düsseldorf in 2019 and got his M.Sc. in Cognitive Science at the University of Bochum three years later. He is now in the last year of his PhD and works with Dynamical Systems models of cognitive and behavioral systems in order to answer conceptual questions about causality and mind in the neurosciences. As part of the unit, he investigates whether mental states are causally efficacious in virtue of being coordinative structures, which entrain the development of the neural systems that co-constitute them.