Stanislas Dehaene stands as a world-renowned cognitive neuroscientist whose pioneering investigations have reshaped our understanding of human cognition and brain function. He currently holds the prestigious inaugural Chair of Experimental Cognitive Psychology at the Collège de France in Paris and serves as director of the INSERM-CEA Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit at NeuroSpin, France's premier advanced brain-imaging research center. After completing his training in mathematics at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, Dehaene transitioned to cognitive neuroscience, earning his PhD in Experimental Psychology in 1989 under Jacques Mehler at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales. His leadership extends to directing the INSERM-CEA Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit since 1989, where he has cultivated a globally influential research program at the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, and education.
Dehaene's groundbreaking research has fundamentally transformed our understanding of numerical cognition, with his identification of the intraparietal sulcus as the critical brain region for number processing revolutionizing mathematical neuroscience. His seminal book "The Number Sense" established the biological basis of mathematical abilities, while his work with Laurent Cohen on the visual word form area elucidated the neural mechanisms underlying reading. Dehaene developed the influential global neuronal workspace theory, proposing that consciousness emerges from brain-wide information sharing through specialized long-distance networks, particularly in the prefrontal cortex. These contributions have been validated through sophisticated experimental approaches including fMRI, EEG, intracranial recordings, and lesion studies, demonstrating how unconscious processes can influence conscious experience.
Beyond his direct research contributions, Dehaene has profoundly shaped the field through his influential textbooks, including "Reading in the Brain," "Consciousness and the Brain," and "How We Learn," which have educated generations of cognitive scientists worldwide. In 2018, he assumed leadership of the French Scientific Council for Education, advising the government on evidence-based approaches to teaching and learning. His exceptional contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors including the Brain Prize, Foreign Membership in the Royal Society (ForMemRS), elected in 2023, and the French National Order of Merit, alongside election to the American Philosophical Society and the National Academy of Sciences. As he prepares to receive the Lewis Thomas Prize, Dehaene continues to pioneer new understandings of how cultural inventions like reading and mathematics reshape the human brain, maintaining his position at the forefront of cognitive neuroscience.
