EASE research meeting

Join us for our monthly research meeting (plus snacks and social time), with presentations by Alex Djedovic and Shebonti Khandaker.

Location: Wilson Hall, Room 2053 and Online (Register here for Zoom link)

Alex Djedovic, PhD, is a philosopher working at the intersection of biology, cognitive science, and social issues. Focused on how the sciences of life and the sciences of mind inform (and sometimes mislead) each other, Alex writes on embodied cognition and theories of living organisms. An interdisciplinary scholar, he is also interested in how cognitive science influences society, non-Western approaches to cognition and their intersection with psychological and social health, the role of theory in making a better world, and the intersection of politics, history, and science.

Alex teaches the popular BPMH course “Buddhism and Psychology” and will discuss (and seek feedback on) his plans to create a textbook for the topic.

Shebonti Khandaker is a 4th-year undergraduate in Cognitive Science, History, and Semiotics. Her work explores the relationship between technology, cognition, and selfhood. She recently completed her undergraduate thesis with Prof. Mark Miller, titled “Extended Minds in the Attention Economy”, and has previously published on digital self-making in the essay “Social Media and Semiosis: Constructing the Self with Signs Online”. She is an awardee of the 2023 UofT Excellence Award for her work on Prof. Ivan Kalmar’s research project “Illiberal Discourses at the Periphery: Eastern and Southern Europe”, and the 2022 Meyer Greenstein Award for Writing Excellence for her publication “Tracing the Colonial Roots of Hijra Treatment in Bangladesh”.

Shebonti’s presentation will explore the psychological and political implications of the smartphone as a cognitive extension tool, in the context of agency, selfhood, and attention/reward dynamics in predictive brains.