Maria Falikman

Maria Falikman is a Teaching Professor of Psychology at HSE University in Moscow, Russia, and former Head of the School of Psychology there. She holds a Ph.D. and Dr. Habil from Lomonosov Moscow State University. Her research focuses on visual attention, cultural evolution, and digital transformations of the human mind, with contributions to cognitive psychology, psycholinguistics, and joint attention mechanisms. Falikman has authored the Psychology of Attention handbook and co-edited multiple Russian psychology readers. She has been a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University and the University of Groningen.

• Education: B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D., Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia); Dr. Habil

Her work bridges cognitive science and cultural-historical theory, exploring topics like meditation's effects on attention, predictive coding principles, and the mind-body problem. She has contributed to popular science via 30+ web lectures for Postnauka/Serious Science and appeared in documentaries on the human brain and cognitive robotics. Falikman is also a PEN International member and award-winning literary translator, having translated works of British and American authors and published poetry collections.

Her recent research trends emphasize digital mediation's impact on cognition, cultural evolution, and interdisciplinary dialogues between psychology and neuroarchaeology. Key themes include gaze cueing mechanisms, attention allocation strategies, and the role of cultural tools in cognitive development.

• Awards: Russian National Psychological Award (2013, 2020); HSE Best Teacher Award (2019–2021)

Falikman advises on autism interventions through joint attention studies and explores existential neuropsychology. She leads initiatives in neuroplasticity and acculturation mechanisms, integrating Vygotskian theory with modern digital contexts.