Aina Puce

Aina Puce serves as the Eleanor Cox Riggs Professor within the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington's College of Arts & Sciences. Her distinguished career spans neuroimaging research, academic leadership, and methodological contributions to social neuroscience. She directs the Imaging Research Facility at Indiana University and maintains active collaborations in MEG research.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Medicine, University of Melbourne, 1990
• M.A. in Applied Science (Physics), Swinburne Institute of Technology, 1985
• B.App.Sc. in Biophysics/Instrumental Science, Swinburne Institute of Technology, 1981
• Postdoctoral studies in neurosurgery, Yale University School of Medicine (1993-1994)

Puce's research program centers on the neural basis of social cognition, with particular emphasis on how humans interpret actions, intentions, and emotions of others through non-verbal communication. Her work investigates both implicit and explicit processing mechanisms within naturalistic social contexts using multimodal neuroimaging approaches. She has pioneered methods for studying dynamic social interactions through EEG, MEG, fMRI, eye tracking, and white matter tractography, with significant contributions to methodological standards in neuroimaging research.

Analysis of her publication record reveals a consistent trajectory from fundamental electrophysiological studies of biological motion to contemporary research on naturalistic social interaction. Her work demonstrates increasing emphasis on methodological rigor and reproducibility in neuroimaging, culminating in leadership roles with the OHBM COBIDAS MEEG committee. The research spans social neuroscience domains including gaze perception, emotional processing, and multisensory integration, consistently employing ecologically valid paradigms that mimic real-world social contexts.

Puce holds the distinguished Eleanor Cox Riggs Professorship and has served in significant editorial capacities as Senior Editor of NeuroImage and Associate Editor for Perspectives on Psychological Science, reflecting her standing in the neuroscience community.

While currently not accepting graduate students for Fall 2026, Puce has maintained an active research program supported by consistent funding for neuroimaging studies. Her leadership extends to directing the Imaging Research Facility at Indiana University and previously serving as deputy director for the Brain Sciences Institute at Swinburne University and director of neuroimaging at West Virginia University School of Medicine.

The Imaging Research Facility under Puce's direction provides comprehensive neuroimaging resources including EEG, MEG, and fMRI capabilities. Her laboratory maintains collaborative relationships with MEG facilities globally and continues to develop innovative approaches for studying social cognition through multimodal imaging techniques.