Nathan Beu

Nathan Beu is a cognitive neuroscientist and experimental psychologist at the University of Adelaide's School of Psychology within the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. He conducts research at the intersection of cognitive neuroscience, neurogenetics, and clinical applications, with particular focus on Parkinson's disease, traumatic brain injuries, and cognitive aging. His work spans multiple laboratories including the Cognitive Neural Sciences Lab and the Cognition, Ageing, and Neurodegenerative Disease laboratory.

Dr. Beu's research interests encompass the neurobiological substrate of higher-order cognition, intelligence, and motor control, with special emphasis on neurogenetics and frontal cortico-basal ganglia pathways. He employs a model-based systems neuroscience approach that integrates individual differences methods, computational modeling, genotyping, EEG, neuroimaging, neurostimulation techniques, and behavioral testing. His work has four broad themes: (1) psychonomics and psychometrics of individual differences in intelligence; (2) philosophical foundations of experimental cognitive science; (3) interventions to enhance cognitive and motor functions; and (4) formal models of pathology for improved medical diagnostics.

His publication record demonstrates significant contributions to understanding response inhibition, cognitive control, and evidence accumulation models. Recent work has focused on neural correlates of cognitive decline, genetic markers of executive function, and computational approaches to decision-making. His research employs decomposition models to capture distinct cognitive, neural, and motor processes involved in decisions and responses, mapping these onto imaging and genetic information to improve early detection of cognitive decline.

Dr. Beu is deeply committed to open science practices, sharing research code and data, preregistering studies, and supporting replication efforts. His work emphasizes justice, equity, and diversity in both education and scientific research, aiming to create a more transparent and reliable scientific community.

He collaborates with researchers including Dr. Irina Baetu, Prof. Nicholas Burns, and others in the Cognitive Neural Sciences Lab, investigating how learning from experiences guides choices and how cognitive control abilities change during aging and in Parkinson's disease. Their work focuses on discovering genetic variations that may help preserve cognitive abilities and inform new treatments for cognitive decline.