Adjmal Sarwary Podcast

How does willpower work and how do underlying factors such as cognitive control and motivation influence it? We talk to Dr. Roshan Cools about her research. We cover many topics ranging from reward and the role of dopamine as well as cognitive enhancers such as ritalin or adderall and if they are actually effective or not. We also touched upon how UX design could impact cognitive control and how you should think about it.

What actually makes a good learning experience and how does it affect learning performance? We talk about this with our guest Frank. He has a passion for understanding and improving learning as well as education. He is currently an assistant professor in Neuroeducation & Artificial Intelligence at the Donders Institute.  We cover many topics ranging from AI in education to online learning all the way to the important effect emotions have on learning.

In this conversation we talk about the science of language. How does language work? What is language and how does it impact us every day? We discuss how language makes us uniquely human and where do the borders lie if there are any. We also talk about the overlaps of language and memory. Our guest is Dr. Vitoria Piai. Vitória is a senior researcher at the Donders Centre for Cognition and the Radboud University Medical Centre. Her research focuses on language function in healthy and neurological populations, such as stroke, brain tumor, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia or Parkinson's. She pays special attention to the intersection of language and other functions, such as executive control, (semantic) memory, and motor control in the case of speaking. 

Our guest today is Prof. Pieter Medendorp. He is the head of the sensorimotor (http://sensorimotorlab.com/) lab at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour. In this conversation we talk about the science of sensory integration and transformation. Specifically, how these very fundamental processes impact us on a daily basis without us even realizing it. We discuss how our senses can fool us and how that experience can be fun. We also make links to industry and how forms of therapy and diagnosis can improve using these principles.

We most of the time don't make rational decisions. It feels like feel like we are in control but that's just an illusion. In this conversation we talk to Prof. Alan Sanfey (alansanfey.com) who is the principal investigator of the decision neuroscience lab (www.decisionneurosciencelab.com/) at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior. We get a better idea of what drives our decisions, how industry is trying to use these concepts and also where it sometimes goes wrong.

Did you ever wonder what the career path looks like for a scientist? The academic system can feel obscure to outsiders and not easy to get into. To scientists themselves, it can create uncertainty and is also fiercely competitive. In this conversation, we talk to Dr. Ian Cameron (@ian_gm_cameron). Ian works at the exciting interface between academia, entrepreneurship, industry and society. We discuss the ‘standard' career path, transfer of knowledge to society, and the relationship of academia and industry.

Did you ever go into a bar and felt comfortable and relaxed but didn't know why? In this episode we talk to Ivar de Lange (ivardelange.com), an award winning bartender and entrepreneur with a background in medical psychology. Ivar gives us insights into how bars are setup and walks us through pitfalls beginning bar owners should avoid. We also touch upon the impact his medical psychology background has on his bartending career and expertise.

Sounds are all around us but how are they used to affect us? Even if we don't think about it but sound logos are all around us. In this episode we talk to Erwin de Boer (@boer1993). He's working as a marketing expert and has plenty of experience as a sound brand designer. He gives us a deeper look into different levels of sound branding and how these are approached and implemented.

Is teaching entrepreneurship possible and what are the challenges while doing so? In this episode, we're discussing this topic with Dr. Raphael Smals (www.rsmals.nl). We focus on different types of institutions and their approaches in teaching important skills. We specifically look into what skills are necessary for an entrepreneur but not taught at all.

Listen in and see what this podcast is all about.