William Alexander

William Alexander is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Florida Atlantic University's Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, focusing on computational modeling of cognitive neuroscience, prefrontal cortex function, and decision-making mechanisms.

• Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology and Cognitive Science, Indiana University, Bloomington (2006)
• FWO Odysseus Laureate recipient (2013)
• Laboratory relocation to Center for Complex Systems & Brain Sciences, FAU (2018)

His research explores computational mechanisms of prefrontal cortex in cognitive control, decision-making, and prediction error processing, integrating neuroimaging data with behavioral studies and machine learning techniques. Key methodologies include fMRI (univariate, model-based, and MVPA), EEG, and theoretical modeling of hierarchical predictive coding frameworks.

Recent work examines:

• Dissociation of outcome/state uncertainty signals in cognitive control (2023)
• Dimension reliability in cognitive strategies (2022)
• Interactions between medial/lateral PFC (2021)
• Surprise signaling in ACC (2020)
• Task-specific reward/effort prioritization (2019)

Scientific awards include

• FWO Odysseus Laureate (2013)

Key collaborations with researchers like Eliana Vassena, James Deraeve, and Basak Kocaoglu focus on causal modeling, value-based decision-making, and perception-behavior feedback loops. Lab alumni have conducted groundbreaking work on multi-voxel pattern analysis and temporal discounting frameworks.