Eelke Spaak

I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Attention Group headed by Mark Stokes and a Junior Research Fellow at New College. My work is focused on the cognitive neuroscience of attention and working memory. Given that we are constantly bombarded with large amounts of information, it is essential that the brain filters some of this out to focus its cognitive operation on, and use it to flexibly guide behaviour. Although the past few decades have seen large advances in understanding which brain regions are involved in attention and working memory, little is still known about how the brain achieves these processes. This is where my research fits in: through the development and application of advanced analyses for electrophysiological data, as well as the development of computational and theoretical models, I hope to better our understanding of the fundamental neural operations that allow us to exhibit flexible, intelligent behaviour. 

My previous research has employed magneto-encephalography to investigate the mechanistic role of oscillatory neural activity in shaping visual perception and the attentional state. I have completed a BSc in Artificial Intelligence, a BA in Philosophy, and an MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience from the Radboud University in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, as well as an MSc in Philosophy from the University of Edinburgh. I obtained my PhD working with Ole Jensen at the Donders Institute.