Jakub Jílek

I have recently finished my studies of Cognitive and Decision Sciences (CoDeS) at University College London. CoDeS is a multidisciplinary field that merges Psychology, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Statistics and Artificial Intelligence. It aims to elucidate human and animal cognition, i.e. what our brains do and how this relates to society and the outer world. In addition to discovering the neural correlates of all possible cognitive functions, CoDeS does not shy away from investigating just about any area of human life, including the social, political or economic spheres. For this purpose, it utilises a wide range of techniques borrowed from other disciplines, including behavioural experiments, neuroimaging and computational modelling. My research is focused on Neurofeedback – a computer-based technique that aids people with adjusting their brain activity in order to self-heal many psychological and neurological disorders. I primarily use the modality of EEG (Electroencephalography) to achieve this end. EEG Neurofeedback provides real-time data on the voltage and frequency of electrical activity of various regions of the brain. In the most simple treatment protocol, this information is compared with a normative database of healthy people and if any deviations are found, the patient is instructed on how to adjust their brain activity back to the norm, usually by means of playing a computer game or watching a film. This way many disorders can be alleviated (especially those of epilepsy, ADHD, anxiety, tinnitus, migraines, learning disorders, etc.) if not disappear completely. I come from Pardubice, where I went to Gymnazium Dašická. Afterwards, I studied PPE (Politics, Philosophy and Economics) and Psychology at University of Essex. Throughout my studies I have had an opportunity to learn a little about a great number of disciplines in both social and natural sciences, which has enabled me to see the larger picture of what I am doing and where I am going in the context of the society and the world. I have an international mindset and firmly believe that all things should be approached holistically, with respect to all life on the planet - human, animal and plant - rather than purely the narrow interests of citizens of countries or nations. I believe we live in the most interesting age of humankind where anything is possible – from a sudden rise of hopefully good artificial intelligence, a development of effective treatment for all diseases, an energy and food revolution that will feed all life on the planet, but also total war, dissolution of democracies, dystopia and chaos. It is purely up to us which way we decide to go in the next years. I aim to make my contribution towards the peaceful path by studying how we can help people in the most effective way to feel better regarding themselves but also regarding the whole planet.