Marcel Just

Marcel Just is the D.O. Hebb University Professor of Psychology and Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, where he also serves as the Director of the Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging. His academic journey began with a B.Sc. in Honors Psychology from McGill University in 1968, followed by a Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1972. Over his distinguished career, Just has pioneered the application of fMRI technology to investigate the neural basis of cognitive processes.

His research focuses on understanding how concepts are neurally represented in the brain, with particular emphasis on:

• How familiar and technical concepts are represented through fMRI-measured brain activation patterns
• The decomposition of these patterns into meaningful components (e.g., how motor regions represent the action of holding an apple)
• Applications for diagnosing psychiatric illnesses by detecting alterations in concept representations
• Assessing how students learn new technical concepts in educational settings

Just's work has made significant contributions to both conceptual and language processing research (funded by ONR and NIMH grants) and autism research (funded by NICHD). His laboratory developed the influential frontal-posterior underconnectivity theory of autism, which has shaped understanding of neural connectivity differences in autism spectrum disorders.

His research employs machine learning and dimension reduction techniques applied to fMRI data, bridging cognitive psychology with advanced neuroimaging methodologies. This interdisciplinary approach has yielded insights across multiple domains including language comprehension, visual thinking, problem-solving, working memory, social judgment, and multi-tasking.

Among his notable scientific awards are:

• Appointment as University Professor at Carnegie Mellon (2013)
• Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the Society for Text & Discourse (2012)
• Outstanding Research Award from the Advisory Board on Autism and Related Disorders (2001)
• NIMH Senior Scientist Award (1997)

Throughout his career, Just has mentored numerous researchers and collaborated extensively with colleagues across disciplines. His work has been supported by multiple grants from organizations including the Office of Naval Research (ONR), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). These collaborations have led to innovative applications of neuroimaging in understanding both typical cognitive processes and clinical conditions.

At the Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging, Just leads a multidisciplinary team that combines expertise in psychology, neuroscience, biomedical engineering, and machine learning to advance the field of cognitive neuroimaging. The center serves as a hub for cutting-edge research that continues to deepen our understanding of the relationship between brain activity and cognitive processes.