Rick Cooper

Prof. Rick Cooper is the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science at Birkbeck, University of London. He holds a Ph.D. (1990, University of Edinburgh) and B.Math (1986, University of Newcastle). His roles include leading Science Central and overseeing academic programs like the MSc in Cognition and Computation. He chairs committees such as the College Working Party on Open Research and served as Executive Editor of Cognitive Science (2015–2020).

Research focuses on cognitive control mechanisms, computational modeling of executive functions, and neurological impairments. Key themes include routine sequential behavior, dual-task interference, and hierarchical goal management. He has developed influential models like the Goal Circuit Model for routine action control.

Prof. Cooper has received prestigious awards, including Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and the British Academy Medal (2013). His lab, the Computational Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, explores neural and computational bases of cognition. He has supervised over 15 doctoral students, including recent completions in neurocomputational modeling and semantic cognition.

Teaching spans modules like Computational Approaches to Mind and Neuropsychology. His outreach includes public lectures on cognitive science and media commentary on AI and brain-inspired computing.