General Information
The mission of the Rutgers University Center for Cognitive Science (RuCCS) is to carry out excellent research in the interdisciplinary and complex field of Cognitive Science. Researchers from several disciplines, most prominently Psychology, Linguistics, Computer Science, and Philosophy, come together at RuCCS to learn about the theories and research programs of other scholars with overlapping interests but very different backgrounds.
RuCCS places great importance on the training of the next generations of scholars. Through its undergraduate major and minor, RU undergraduates have the opportunity to learn about and participate in outstanding research with leaders in the field. The Graduate Certificate in Cognitive Science also offers doctoral students the opportunity to engage with areas and faculty members outside their department.
Please refer to the Research Tab (top right of page) for a list of research labs affiliated with the Center for Cognitive Science (RuCCS).
Read more about us in the With the Mind as its Focus, a Rutgers Center Comes of Age article in the School of Arts and Sciences website. The story was also featured in the Access Newsletter.
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
Electrical and Computer Engineering
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Kristin Dana
Computer vision and graphics; computational models for object appearance and image texture with applications in pattern recognition and scene rendering; optical systems for measurements of surface appearance.
Email:
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Psychology
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Kasia M. Bieszczad
Neurobiology of learning and memory. Applies epigenetic, molecular, and electrophysiological techniques in animals to understand the basis of associative learning and memory determined by behavior; combines sensory neurophysiology (in the auditory system) with behavioral neuroscience to study how memory and perception intertwine.
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Jacob Feldman
Formal, computational and empirical studies of categorization, shape representation, grouping and perceptual inference in visual perception.
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Pernille Hemmer
The influence of prior knowledge on memory and decision making in naturalistic environments.
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Michelle Hurst
I am interested in systematic variation in human cognition that arises between people across development and within a person across contexts. In my lab, we study this systematic variation by using behavioral experiments, mathematical and computational models, and a wide developmental perspective – from infancy to adults.
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Eileen Kowler
Study of the sensory cues, spatial representations and cognitive factors that guide patterns of smooth and saccadic eye.
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Alan Leslie
Conceptual development and the representation of the physical world, of Agency, and of "theory of mind" in infants and preschoolers; also their impairment in autism.
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John P. McGann
Professor/RuCCS Faculty Director
Research in my laboratory employs neurophsyiological, behavioral, and theoretical methods to explore how humans and rodent models learn information about the world and apply this knowledge to the neural processing of incoming sensory stimuli. We are also interested in how dysfunction in these processes could manifest in mental and neurological disorders.
Email:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. The McGann Laboratory on the Neurobiology of Sensory Cognition Website
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Melchi Michel
Study of visual search and saccadic eye movements, short-term visual memory, perceptual learning and cue integration. Formal computational and ideal observer modeling of visual tasks and of population coding in visual cortex
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Julien Musolino
Specializes in psycholinguistics and research focuses on language acquisition and language processing.
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Manish Singh
Formal and empirical study of visual object and surface representations. Part-based description of object shape; Computation of surface structure under partial occlusion and transparency; Visual attention.
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Karin Stromswold
Language acquisition and learnability theory; the cognitive and neural bases of language, language acquisition, and language processing; studies of sentence processing using neuroimaging.
Email:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Personal Website | Language Acquisition and Processing Lab (LAPL) Website
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Elizabeth Torres
My interest lies in the study of voluntary actions in general and the emergence of symbolic intelligence from them. In particular, I have been studying natural voluntary arm movements in the context of reaching for and grasping an object, obstacle avoidance, the acquisition and retrieval of a motor program, and more recently on the performance of a parietal patient and of patients with Parkinson's disease. I am also doing research on autism.
Email:
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David Vicario
Neuroethology. Using behavioral, neurophysiological, and anatomical methods in songbirds to study sensory and motor processes that subserve vocal learning, including auditory memory, perception, and production of learned vocalizations.
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Jenny Wang
Jenny Wang investigates the origins of our knowledge, how we master complicated concepts (such as mathematics), and how we learn about the world around us.
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Qiong Zhang
Dr. Zhang's research combines computational modeling, behavioral methods and neural imaging to understand human memory. She is interested in how the human memory system uses its limited cognitive resources to efficiently retrieve past experiences and knowledge, and how we as researchers can design methods to improve human memory performance.
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