Daniel J Simons

Daniel J. Simons is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with affiliations in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising and the Center for Social and Behavioral Science. He received his B.A. from Carleton College and Ph.D. from Cornell University, following five years at Harvard University.

• Research focuses on visual cognition, attention, perception, and metacognition
• Key discoveries in change blindness and inattentional blindness
• Develops real-world applications of cognitive research to driving, media, and medical fields

His recent publications explore visual cognition through diverse lenses including magic, film editing, and medical diagnostics. Scientific recognition includes:

• Ig Nobel Award (2004) for intuitive deception research
• Early Career Award (2003) from American Psychological Association
• Fellow of Association for Psychological Science and Psychonomic Society

As founding editor-in-chief of Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, he championed open science initiatives. His Visual Cognition Laboratory pioneers research on awareness limits and their real-world implications. Teaching interests span statistics, research practices, and cognitive science for broad audiences.