CPCSciCenter for Philosophical
and Cognitive SciencesContact

Research

Research programme

Five connected themes bring mathematical, computational, empirical and philosophical methods to questions about mind, matter, knowledge and responsible technology.

01

Research theme

Complex Systems, Active Matter & Adaptive Dynamics

Mathematical and computational studies of collective dynamics, memory, nonreciprocity, pattern formation and adaptive many-body systems.

This theme asks how simple local interactions produce organised behaviour across active matter, biological aggregation and coordinated agents. We study systems in which geometry, perception, memory and internal regulation are part of the dynamics rather than fixed background assumptions.

A central concern is adaptation: interacting units change while they interact. Non-Markovian feedback, emergent nonreciprocity and topological structure provide a common language for explaining switching, recovery, information retention and robust collective coordination.

Representative questions

  • How do internal states and memory reshape collective order?
  • Can nonreciprocal interactions emerge from geometry rather than imposed couplings?
  • When can driven matter retain and process information?
Agent-based simulationContinuum field theoryNonlinear dynamicsGeometric modellingMulti-timescale analysis
02

Research theme

Cognitive Neuroscience & Contemplative Science

Mechanistic research on attention, meditation, self-reflection, agency and affect using physiological signals and interpretable computational methods.

We combine EEG, heart-rate variability and behavioural measures to investigate attention, mind wandering, meditation, agency and complex emotion. Experimental questions are paired with computational methods that can distinguish meaningful structure from noise and individual variability.

The programme emphasises interpretable and reproducible biomarkers. Persistent homology, graph analysis, spectral measures and carefully evaluated learning systems are used to connect neural and autonomic dynamics with lived cognitive states without overstating what physiological data can establish.

Representative questions

  • Which neural and autonomic signatures distinguish cognitive states?
  • How do contemplative practices alter cognitive load and attentional stability?
  • Can topological markers remain robust under noisy physiological measurement?
EEG and HRVPersistent homologyHodge spectral entropyGraph analysisDeep learning
03

Research theme

Consciousness, Perception & Indian Epistemology

Philosophically informed, formally explicit research on perception, phenomenal unity, part–whole relations and consciousness-first hypotheses.

This area brings contemporary philosophy of mind and empirical perception research into critical dialogue with Indian epistemology. Concepts drawn from pramāṇa traditions, Yoga and Vedānta are treated as substantive intellectual proposals whose scope and assumptions can be analysed explicitly.

Formal tools from topology and category theory help clarify unity, context and part–whole relations, while empirical work constrains philosophical claims. The aim is neither to reduce classical traditions to modern terminology nor to exempt them from scientific and conceptual scrutiny.

Representative questions

  • How can local experiences form a coherent phenomenal whole?
  • Which models of perception can connect philosophical analysis with empirical inquiry?
  • How should classical Indian epistemology enter contemporary scientific debate?
Conceptual analysisCategory theoryTopologyComparative epistemologyEmpirical perception studies
04

Research theme

AI, Causality & Physical Computation

Research on contextual inference, causal reasoning, representational ethics and memory-rich computational architectures grounded in dynamical systems.

We investigate computation as a context-sensitive physical and inferential process. Current work spans probabilistic structure in language models, dynamical reservoirs with multiple timescales, causal explanation and the relation between machine representations and experienced worlds.

The programme keeps intelligence, representation and consciousness conceptually distinct. This distinction supports both better experiments and more responsible governance, especially when AI systems generate persuasive representations without evidence of subjective experience.

Representative questions

  • When do machine inferences exhibit non-classical probabilistic structure?
  • How can causal reasoning move beyond pattern correlation?
  • What follows ethically when systems construct representations without experience?
Machine learningQuantum-inspired modellingCausal frameworksReservoir computingAI ethics
05

Research theme

Digital Health, Wellbeing & Neurotechnology

Translational research on meditation, attention and human performance through wearable sensing, real-time biofeedback, immersive environments and AI-assisted applications.

This translational theme develops tools grounded in the centre’s research on attention, contemplative practice and physiological regulation. Wearable and contactless sensing, biofeedback and immersive environments are explored as ways to support practice and measure change outside tightly controlled laboratories.

Evaluation includes efficacy, safety, privacy, accessibility and the limits of inference from personal data. The goal is useful, evidence-aware technology that supports human agency rather than replacing judgement or making ungrounded clinical claims.

Representative questions

  • How can attentional lapses be detected before conscious awareness?
  • Which wearable and contactless signals provide reliable, non-intrusive markers of cognitive state?
  • How should AI-assisted wellbeing tools be evaluated for efficacy, safety and responsible use?
Wearable sensingPPG, HRV and IMUAcoustic respirationMachine learningVirtual reality

Cross-cutting methods

Shared analytical foundations

Methods move across research areas rather than remaining confined to a single disciplinary problem.

01Topological data analysis02Forman–Ricci curvature03Hodge spectral analysis04Agent-based modelling05Continuum field theory06EEG, HRV and wearable sensing07Machine learning08Category-theoretic modelling