Hakwan Lau is co-director of the Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research and professor of biomedical engineering at Sungkyunkwan University. He is supported by the Institute for Basic Science in Korea. Previously he worked at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science; the University of California, Los Angeles; Columbia University and University College London. He obtained his D.Phil. in 2005 from Oxford University, and his undergraduate degree in 2001 from the University of Hong Kong, where he studied philosophy and cognitive science. He is the author of “In Consciousness We Trust,” an open-access academic monograph.
Hakwan Lau
Professor of biomedical engineering
Sungkyunkwan University
From this contributor
Premature declarations on animal consciousness hinder progress
By
Hakwan Lau
18 November 2024 | 5 min read
Selected articles
- “Where is the ‘posterior hot zone’? Open review of Ferrante et al. (2023): “An adversarial collaboration to critically evaluate theories of consciousness” (by the ARC-Cogitate Consortium)” | PsyArXiv
- “Multivoxel pattern analysis reveals dissociations between subjective fear and its physiological correlates” | Molecular psychiatry
- “Should a few null findings falsify prefrontal theories of conscious perception?” | Journal of Neuroscience
- “Towards an unconscious neural reinforcement intervention for common fears” | PNAS
Explore more from The Transmitter
How to teach programming in the age of AI
Scientists and educators are concerned about students using artificial intelligence to shortcut their learning. But there are also opportunities, especially when it comes to teaching neuroscience students how to code.
How to teach programming in the age of AI
Scientists and educators are concerned about students using artificial intelligence to shortcut their learning. But there are also opportunities, especially when it comes to teaching neuroscience students how to code.
By
Ashley Juavinett
30 March 2026 | 8 min read
Neuroscience conference policy draws confusion, apology
NeurIPS organizers apologized and altered course after issuing a policy that barred submissions from researchers at U.S.-government-sanctioned institutions.
Neuroscience conference policy draws confusion, apology
NeurIPS organizers apologized and altered course after issuing a policy that barred submissions from researchers at U.S.-government-sanctioned institutions.
By
Dalmeet Singh Chawla
27 March 2026 | 5 min read
Funding for animal research alternatives reaches ‘inflection point’
The United States and Europe are dedicating hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to advance novel alternative methods, but not all neuroscientists see this as a positive step.
Funding for animal research alternatives reaches ‘inflection point’
The United States and Europe are dedicating hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to advance novel alternative methods, but not all neuroscientists see this as a positive step.
By
Claudia López Lloreda
26 March 2026 | 4 min read