Welcome to RuCCS
At the Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science (RuCCS), we seek to understand the mind, brain, and behavior through interdisciplinary research grounded in computational methods; to educate, mentor, and advise emerging scholars; and to foster engagement with the broader community. Our mission is to promote excellence in interdisciplinary research, to train and educate future generations of researchers and leaders, and to engage stakeholders to ensure the long-lasting impact of our research.
Researchers from several disciplines, most notably Computer Science, Linguistics, Philosophy, and Psychology come together at RuCCS to develop, advance, and teach theories, and gather, interpret, and present empirial evidence that bears on cognition and the mind from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Through our undergraduate major and minor, RU undergraduates have the opportunity to learn about and participate in outstanding research with leaders in the field. Through our Graduate Certificate in Cognitive Science, we provide doctoral students the opportunity to learn about areas outside their specialization, and to conduct research with a faculty member outside their home department.
Established in 1991, a primary goal of RuCCS has always been to foster research concerned with the nature of certain symbolic processes that are constitutive of intelligent performance. The approach in cognitive science, in contrast with the approach taken by other investigators interested in similar issues, is essentially computational. The goal is to understand such aspects of intelligent performance as perception, language processing, planning, problem-solving, reasoning, and learning, in terms of the computational processes that underwrite these skills, as well as the computational mechanisms (be they silicon hardware, or neural tissue) that may instantiate them. Our pursuit is essentially multi- and inter-disciplinary and involves techniques and knowledge drawn from experimental psychology, computer science, neuroscience, philosophy, linguistics, mathematics, and engineering.
RuCCS is has an Executive Committee composed of faculty researchers who are experts in their disciplines. They provide experiential learning activities for undergraduate and graduate students and high quality advising, and play an active role in crafting the undergraduate curriculum and maintaining a thriving intellectual research life in the Center.
Knyckolas Sutherland
- Graduation Year: 2018
Major: Cognitive Science, Language Track
Minor:
Year: May 2018
How did you decide on your major?
I was initially contemplating Linguistics or Computer Science but a friend of mine told me about this new major being approved that might incorporate my favorite aspects of both those fields. Once I explored the RUCCS site and perused the work of some of the faculty I decided to take some of the classes and found my new home.
What is it about your chosen field (and the department) that appeals to you?
I like the interdisciplinary nature of the classes within this department and the research opportunities offered. All the professors seem excited about working in their diverse specialties and their passion definitely spills over to the classroom making students eager to get involved. The growth of this field is what appeals to me the most. I feel that Cognitive Science will be at the center of some of the most fundamental problems our population will have to face in the coming years of scientific and societal advancement.
Do you have a favorite class/professor within your major?
I enjoy all my classes but my favorite, if I had to choose one, would be Cognition and Decision Making with Dr. Rigdon. We learn a lot of dynamic concepts from Behavioral Economics that have interesting applications to the everyday world around us. Not only that, but we also do experiments live in class to generate our own data and check the robustness of the theoretical models we are currently studying. The class discussions are thought-provoking and the entire class gets involved. Its informative and fun to see the science behind the choices we make.
What are your favorite academic experiences outside of your major?
Outside of the classroom my favorite activity has been serving as the Community Service Chairman for the Cognitive Science Club. Meeting with a group of likeminded students, discussing cool topics relating our major to popular culture or current events, and coordinating community service is extremely fulfilling. I'm excited to see the club continue to grow and be a space where students can come to learn and meet new people.
What are your other Rutgers activities?
I like to play intramural sports like soccer and flag football with my friends on the Werblin fields. I also DJ for university functions like the football games, Rutgers Day, and OFSA events.
What are your plans following graduation?
After graduation I would like to use my degree to get a job doing User Experience Research. This is a field I think would utilize my creative and analytical skills. The principles of Cognitive Science would align perfectly with this type of role.
Meet our Cognitive Science Majors and Alumni
Please refresh this page to see more student and alumni interviews!
You can learn more about the Cognitive Science major from one of our excellent majors, Mohammad Wiswall:
Majoring in Cognitive Science can take you where you want to go!
Cognitive scientists answer questions about the mind and how it computes and manipulates information using concepts and tools from many disciplines, including computer science, linguistics, mathematics, neuroscience, philosophy, and psychology. Understanding human behavior is foundational in many fields, making career paths for cognitive science wide-ranging. The major is also an excellent foundation for careers in other fields that draw upon Cognitive Science principles, such as business, education, law, and medicine.
Arts and Sciences in Action: Cognitive Science Style
"I feel that Cognitive Science will be at the center of some of the most fundamental problems our population will have to face in the coming years of scientific and societal advancement."
Knyckolas Sutherland
Study Cognitive Science
Explore a dynamic field that prepares you for both industry and academic careers
Study how the brain works to support human behavior and intelligence
Learn to evaluate research questions critically, drawing upon tools from many disciplines
Join our community of interdisciplinary students and scholars to be a part of this high impact field!
The Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science is part of the School of Arts and Sciences
As a Cognitive Science major in the School of Arts and Sciences, you’ll have full access to a liberal arts education that spans 47 programs for undergraduates. You will acquire both the specialized knowledge of the field you choose to study in depth, and broad knowledge of the world from the renowned scholar-teachers at Rutgers. You’ll graduate ready to meet contemporary challenges in your workplace, in your hometown, and in the global community.
Visit Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences Website
Computer Science
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Bekris, Kostas
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This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Motion and task planning for autonomous robots; Integration of perception and planning for manipulating and interacting with the physical world; Coordination of multiple physical agents, including human-robot interaction.
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Elgammal, Ahmed
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This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Computer Vision and Machine Learning; statistical models for learning visual manifolds of objects; computational models for recognition of articulated objects; computational art history.
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Michmizos, Konstantinos
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This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Basic Research: Computational Modeling of Sensorimotor Behavior, Psychophysics, Functional Neuroimaging
Applied research: Rehabilitation Games for children with disabilities, Robotic Neurorehabilitation
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Pavlovic, Vladimir
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This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Bayesian system modeling, time-series analysis, and statistical computer vision; modeling of human emotions and affect, as well as design of fast, robust, face tracking and identification systems; modeling and analysis of human crowd behavior from the perspective of distributed sensing and decision making systems
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Stone, Matthew
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This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Reasoning systems for natural language generation and human-computer interaction; formal models of plans, context and mutual knowledge, and linguistic meaning and interpretation.
Linguistics
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Baker, Mark
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This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Comparative syntax, linguistic universals, semantic roles, Amerindian and African languages.
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Syrett, Kristen
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This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Language acquisition and development, semantics, syntax-semantics interface, pragmatics, prosody, representation and processing
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Tesar, Bruce
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This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Computational models of language learning, phonology, Optimality Theory, the role of linguistics within cognitive science.
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