Research

Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience (CBN) Laboratory [Prof. Rashmi Gupta]

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CBN Lab
Prof Rashmi GuptaProfessor In-Charge: Prof. Rashmi Gupta

 

The CBN lab engages a variety of neuroimaging/clinical instruments, including multimodal MRI (e.g. BOLD activation, resting connectivity etc.), EEG, fNIRS, TMS to study the cognitive (e.g. attention, central executive processes, response inhibition, working memory, reward, decision making, learning) and affective processes (e.g., value-learning, reward and punishment processing, emotional face processing), and how their (dys)function(s) may be a factor in the consequences of and predisposition to human drug addiction as well as their ability to predict treatment response.                                                            
The focus of the CBN lab is to investigate the role of emotion and motivational influences on different cognitive functions. We also work with individuals with clinical conditions like ADHD, Autism depression, and drug abuse.                                                            
The broad mission of the CBN lab is reflected in a wide variety of research areas in cognitive neuroscience, including attention, emotion, motivation, memory, time perception, cognitive load, learning, decision-making, cognitive disorders, child development, and translational research. Our key research methods include behavioural, fMRI (high-field MRI at 3T for structure-function mapping), eye-tracker, ExG(EEG, EMG..), fNIRS, TMS, and psychophysiology measures (GSR, heart rate, respiration etc.).                                                            
Pursuing an integrative neuroscience approach, the CBN lab maintains several international and national research collaborations with renowned scientists across various universities (listed below).

If you are interested in the PostDoc, Ph.D., Project, Thesis, Internship, or Collaboration please send me a detailed email with the attachment of: Resume, Proposed Research Question/s with a draft of the research proposal (it will be kept confidential), and at least two suitable options for appointment date and time for meeting online.

Research topics of interest

Behavioural/clinical, fMRI, EEG, fNIRS, Eye Tracker, AI/ML in Cognitive NeuroScience/Psychology, Child Development, Meditation, Visual Awareness, Error Monitoring, Delay Aversion, Priming, (Un)conscious Processing, Task Switching, ODD, Dyslexia, NLP, ...

  • Visual Perception, Memory, Attention and Cognitive/Perceptual Load, Time Perception, Mindfulness, Face Processing, Cognitive Control, Response Inhibition
  • Emotion, value-learning, Reward Processing, Cognition
  • Decision Making, Behavioural Economics
  • Cognitive Disorder (ADHD, Depression, Autism, LD, Cognitive Assessment)
  • Alzheimer’s, MCI
Research Keyword Cloud image

 

Open Positions at the CBN Lab

2 x Post-Doctoral fellowship (IPDF) ~₹80,000 / month

  • Eligibility:
    • -Fresh PhDs (submitted thesis) or PhDs with less than two years of experience
    • -Below 32 years of age
  • Applications are invited anytime (based on a rolling advertisement: IITB Postdoctoral position information page)
  • Alternatively, you can send your application to me via an email (with all the documents attached as one PDF file: max 20MB) at rash_cogsci@yahoo.com or r.gupta@iitb.ac.in                                                            
    Documents required:
    1. Filled .DOC Form (Download Postdoc Application (.DOC) Form)
    2. Detailed CV / Resume,
    3. Statement of Objectives:
      1. Indicating why you wish you to join CBN Lab, IITB,
      2. Do you meet the requirements of the advertised post, and,
      3. A brief write-up about the research projects you plan to undertake, and the courses you would like to teach.
    4. Research Proposal with a potential hypothesis,
    5. At least two references / recommendations,
    6. A full copy of the published papers - Top 2
  • International candidates are encouraged to apply

2 x Project Staff (Research Assistant)

  • Eligibility:
    • -Master's degree in psychology / cognitive science / other
    • -Experience in experimental psychology
  • You can send your application to me via email (with all the documents attached as one PDF file: max 20MB) at rash_cogsci@yahoo.com or r.gupta@iitb.ac.in                                                            
    Documents required:
    1. Detailed CV / Resume,
    2. Statement of Objectives: Indicating why you wish to join CBN Lab, IITB,
    3. Research Proposal with a potential hypothesis,
    4. A reference/recommendation.

1 x Internship (IRCC Award) ~₹15,000 / month                                                                                                                    
The duration of full-time internship is four to six months between January and June

  • Eligibility:
    • -Should be a full time student and in the Second year of a Master's program or third / fourth year of a Bachelor's program.
    • -You should be among the top 20% in the previous year in your discipline in the College / University / Institute.
  • Advertised twice every year (based on advertisement: IITB Internship Award)
  • Approx. Application Timeline (Submission ~August; Interview ~October; Joining ~December)                                                            
    Please go through the "How to apply" link

Internship (Non-paid)                                                            
Open all year around

  • Eligibility:
    • -Must submit a research proposal or / and must passionately commit for a few months to academic research and learning.
  • You can send your application to me via an email (with all the documents attached as one PDF file: max 20MB) at rash_cogsci@yahoo.com or r.gupta@iitb.ac.in                                                            
    Documents required:
    1. Detailed CV / Resume,
    2. Statement of Objectives: Indicating why you wish to join CBN Lab, IITB
    3. A reference/recommendation.

 

PhD Admissions

HSS, IITB

  • HSS PhD information page: Link                                                            
    HSS PhD: Eligibility for admission: Link
  • IITB PhD information page: Link                                                            
    PhD Application Procedure: Link                                                            
    PhD admission FAQ: Link                                                            
    Apply Online: Link

Foreign National (International Student)

  • IITB PhD information page: Link                                                            
    PhD Application Steps: Link                                                            
    Scholarship for Foreign National Students: Link                                                            
    How to Apply: Link

IITB-Monash Academy

  • IITB-Monash PhD program outline: Link                                                            
    PhD Application Procedure: Link                                                            
    Scholarship: Link                                                            
    PhD admission process FAQ: Link                                                            
    Apply Online: Link

KCDH, IITBombay

  • KCDH PhD information page: Link                                                            
    PhD Eligibility Brochure: Link                                                            
    Apply Online: Link

PMRF

  • Eligibility and application procedure: Link
  • PhD admission FAQ: Link                                                            
    Apply Online: Link

 

HOST (International students and scholars) 

  • CBN lab hosted Dr Jamuna Rani Appalasamy from the School of Pharmacy, Monash University, Malaysia, who received the ‘MUM Staff Mobility Grant’ (27th Dec 2022-3rd Jan 2023).
  • CBN lab hosted Ms Tanya Tandon from Fribourg University, Switzerland, who received a ‘Mobility Grant with South Asia and Iran 2019’ (Nov 2019).
  • CBN lab hosted Ms Riya Dave from Princeton University, USA, who received a Nehru Fulbright Fellowship’ (Aug-2019-Mar 2020).

Students' Achievements

  • Mr Rajesh. PG (PhD student) has received the best Poster award in the discipline of Scientific Social Responsibility for the work titled "Alzheimer's may challenge memory, but the ability to see joy in a happy face stands strong" at the 37th Kerala Science Congress held from 7th to10th, February 2025 at Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur, India.
  • Dr. Surabhi Lodha (PhD student) has received the best PhD thesis award 2024: “Naik and Rastogi Award for Excellence in Research” in the Department of HSS, IITB.
  • Mr Rajesh. PG (PhD student) has received the best Poster award in Neurogenetics and Neuroimaging for the work titled “Graph theoretical connectivity analysis identifies Hippocampus and Supramarginal gyrus metrices as a diagnostic classifier of AD, MCI and HC” at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) Neuroscience Next 2024: India Hybrid Hub held from 22nd to 23rd April 2024 at NIMHANS, Bengaluru.
  • Ms Tanya Tandon (PhD student) has received a mobility scholarship from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) to conduct research for nine months (2022) at Harvard Medical School, USA.
  • Mr Rajesh. PG (PhD student) has received an ICMR SRF (2022) fellowship.
  • Ms Tanya Tandon (PhD student) won the first prize in the "Science Slam" in Switzerland. A science slam is a national-level competition in a science communication format where young scientists explain their research projects in short 10-minute-talks that are easy to follow. Afterwards, the audience gets to vote. Here is the link.

     

CBN Lab's: Scholars, Students, Staff, Interns and Alumni

Apr 2025-PresentInternship      
Student: Mr. Mufeed M      
Title: The interactive role of emotion, motivation, and cognition  
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India
Jan 2025-PresentInternship (IRCC, India funded)      
Student: Ms. Neeharika S      
Title: The interactive role of emotion, motivation, and cognition: Neropsychological approach       
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India
Jan 2025-PresentPhD Thesis      
Student: Ms. Rajashree Biswas     
Title: Consciousness and Cognition      
IITB-Monash Research Academy, IITB, Mumbai, India
Dec 2024-PresentProject staff       
Student: Ms. Yashpreet Kaur       
Title: Extrinsic and Intrinsic Emotion Processing       
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India
Sep 2024-PresentProject staff                                                           
Student: Ms. Mahima Elsa Joji                                                            
Title: Extrinsic and Intrinsic Emotion Processing                                                            
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India
Jul 2024-Present
PhD Thesis                            
Student: Mr. Gautham Venugopal                            
Title: Computational modelling of the interaction between cognition and emotion                            
Koita Centre of Digital Health, IITB, Mumbai, India

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Mr. Gautham Venugopal

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Mr. Gautham Venugopal


 

PhD thesis title: My PhD work focuses on understanding the role of emotions in human decision-making, primarily focusing on loss aversion and satisficing strategies.

Research Interest: My primary research interests lie in understanding the heuristics and strategies humans use to make decisions under uncertainty.

Profile Description: I completed my Dual Degree (B.Tech + MS) in Electronics & Communications Engineering from IIIT Hyderabad. I worked with Prof. Bapi Raju on understanding Human Decision-Making using Reinforcement Learning. In particular, my MS thesis focused on Decision-Making in the domain of Skill Learning. I also undertook a research internship under Prof. Nicolas Rougier at the Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Bordeaux, France, where I worked on computational models of the Basal Ganglia.                          

Publications: 

  • N. Chaix-Eichel, G. Venugopal, B. Thomas and N. P. Rougier, "Exploring the Role of Structure in a Time Constrained Decision Task," 2024 IEEE International Conference on Development and Learning (ICDL), Austin, TX, USA, 2024, pp. 1-6, doi: 10.1109/ICDL61372.2024.10644451.
  • G. Venugopal and B. S. Raju, ”Modelling Grid Navigation Using Reinforcement Learning Linear Ballistic Accumulators,” International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (IJCNN), Gold Coast, Australia, 2023, pp. 1-8 doi: 10.1109/IJCNN54540.2023.10192038

Conferences/Workshops attended:

  • G. Venugopal and B. S. Raju, ”Modelling Grid Navigation Using Reinforcement Learning Linear Ballistic Accumulators,” 9th Annual Conference of Cognitive Science (ACCS9), New Delhi, India, 2022 https://cogsci.iitd.ac.in/accs9
  • Computational Approaches to Memory and Plasticity (CAMP) 2024, IISER Pune, India
  • INCF Training Weeks 2021
  • Computational Neuroscience Course, Neuromatch Academy(2021)
  • 2nd Winter School on Cognitive Modelling, Dec 2020, IIT Mandi, India
  • 1st Computational Neuroscience Lab (CNSL) Meet 2020, IIT Madras, India

 

Jan 2024-Jan 2025Project staff                                                            
Student: Ms. Rajashree Biswas                                                            
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India
Jan 2024-Jul 2024Internship (IRCC, India funded)                                                            
Student: Ms. Aditi Wani                                                            
Title: The role of emotion in cognitive processes                                                            
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India
Jan 2024-Present
PhD Thesis          
Student: Ms. Stuti Mehta          
Title: Role of Dance in Cognitive and Emotional Processes          
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India

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Ms. Stuti Mehta

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Ms. Stuti Mehta


 

PhD thesis title: Role of Dance in Cognitive and Emotional Processes.

Research Interest: The relationship between dance, neurocognition, and psychological well-being.

Profile Description: Stuti Mehta holds a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology and is pursuing her PhD in Psychology, focusing on Cognition. She is a passionate researcher and dancer who explores the relationship between dance, neurocognition, and psychological well-being. She believes that research empowers deeper understanding and has the power to deepen understanding and inspire transformative practices in psychology and beyond.           

Publications:

  • Mehta, S. (2023). Exploring the relationship between cyberchondria, intolerance of uncertainty, external health locus of control, and defensive pessimism among middle-aged adults. Journal of Psychosocial Research, 18(2), 195–204. https://doi.org/10.32381/JPR.2023.18.02.5
  • Mehta, S. (2023). India’s psychosurgery milestone. Psychologos Magazine.
  • Mehta, S. (2021). Effects of cyberbullying on child’s mental health. Cyber Insights Magazine.
  • Mehta, S. (2021). The silent victim: Male sexual abuse. The Third Space by dR CLB Lab. Retrieved from https://www.drclb.com/the-silient-victim-male-sexual-abuse

Conferences/Workshops attended:

  • Avishkar Research Convention - Presented "Impact of Phubbing on Psychological Distress among Adults"
  • Anveshan Research Convention - Poster presentation: "Exploring the Predictors of Subjective Vitality among Housewives: The Role of Perceived Family Support, Household Decision Making Power and Self Compassion", awarded 1st prize.

 

Jan 2024-PresentPhD Thesis (UGC, India funded)                                                            
Student: Ms. Manmeet Kaur                                                            
Title: Cognitive and Emotional Markers of ADHD Subtypes                                                            
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India
Jul 2023-PresentPhD Thesis                                                            
International Student: Ms. Jenna Lyn Burgett                                                            
Title: Interaction between Pain Perception, Attention, and Emotion in individuals with chronic pain                                                            
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India
Jul 2023-PresentPhD Thesis (1 reputed peer-reviewed conference paper published)                                                            
Student: Ms. Lijiya Chacko                                                            
Title: Selective orienting for extrinsic and intrinsic emotional information: Eye-tracker investigation                                                            
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India
Jul 2023-PresentPhD Thesis                                                            
Student: Ms. Payal Sipani                                                            
Title: Cognitive processes and Rule Breaking behaviour in children with externalizing disorder                                                            
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India
Dec 2022-May 2023Internship (IRCC, India funded)                                                            
Student: Ms. Pranjal Modi                                                            
Title: Role of emotions in cognitive processes                                                            
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India
Jul 2022-Apr 2024MA by research: Thesis (Defended)                                                            
Student: Ms. Khushi Priya                                                            
Title: The role of irrelevant emotions in mind wandering                                                            
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India
Jul 2020-PresentPhD Thesis (Funded by DHR-ICMR, India)                                                            
Student: Mr. Rajesh PG                                                            
Title: Neural mechanisms underlying emotion processing of Alzheimer’s                                                            
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India
Jul 2020-PresentPhD Thesis (2 reputed peer-reviewed conference papers published)                                                            
Title: Effect of mantra meditation on cognitive control                                                            
Student: Mr. Chandan Kumar Srivastava                                                            
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India
Dec 2019-May 2020Internship (IRCC, India funded)                                                            
Title: Classification of Attention Disorders                                                            
Student: Ms. Shabista Nadeem Shaikh                                                            
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India
Sep 2019-May 2020Visiting research student (Fulbright-Nehru Fellow, USA funded ) (2 journal articles published)                                                            
Title: Development of gender construct in adolescent (Interdisciplinary Studies)                                                            
International Student: Ms. Riya Dave                                                            
Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, New York, USA
Feb 2019-20216 Project staff (3 journal articles published)                                                            
Title: Development of classification system for children with ADHD                                                            
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India
Jan 2019-Dec 2024PhD Thesis (Defended) (UGC, India funded) (6 journal articles published)                                                            
Best PhD thesis award: “Naik and Rastogi Award for Excellence in Research”, 2024                                                           
Title: Effect of mindfulness meditation on cognitive control                                                           
Student: Ms. Surabhi Lodha                                                           
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India
Dec 2018-2021Institute Postdoc (2 journal articles published)                                                           
Title: Interaction between cognition and emotion                                                           
Dr. Jay Prakash Singh                                                           
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India
Dec 2018-May 2019Internship (IRCC, India funded)                                                           
Title: Interaction between emotion and perception                                                           
Student: Mr. Sunath Khadikar                                                           
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India
Jul 2018-Jun 2023PhD Thesis (Defended) (SNSF, Switzerland funded) (3 journal articles published)                                                           
Title: Mental Health of the University Students in India and Switzerland                                                           
Student: Ms. Tanya Tondon                                                           
A Cross-Cultural Investigation of the Interaction Between Physical Pain and Reward-Related Processes                                                           
In co-supervision with PI at the University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
Jul 2018-May 2023PhD Thesis (Defended) (Seed Grant, India Funded) (5 journal articles published)                                                           
Title: Role of emotion in cognitive control                                                           
Student: Mr. Shubham Pandey                                                           
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India
Jul 2018-May 2023PhD Thesis (Defended) (IITB-Monash Academy, India funded) (1 journal article published)                                                           
Title: The Interactive Effect of Cognition, Emotion, and Motivation on Behaviour                                                           
Student: Ms. Rajeshwari Muthukumaran                                                           
IITB-Monash Academy, Mumbai, India
Aug 2017-Aug 2019MPhil Thesis (Defended)                                                           
Title: Emotion processing in action video game player                                                           
Student: Mr. Amogh Joshi                                                           
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India
Aug 2017-Dec 2017Internship                                                           
Title: Emotion Processing in Aphasia                                                           
Student: Ms. Simantika Roy                                                           
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India
Aug 2017-Dec 2017Internship                                                           
Title: Role of emotion in time perception                                                           
Student: Mr. Dnyanesh Borse                                                           
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India
Aug 2017-Dec 2017MPhil Seminar Paper (1 journal article published)                                                           
Title: Psychological perspective of universal basic income                                                           
Student: Mr. Gaurav Bansal                                                           
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India
Aug 2017-Dec 2017MPhil Seminar Paper                                                            
Title: Psychological perspective of literature                                                           
Department of HSS, IITB, Mumbai, India

 

Lab equipment

  • Interference/noise-free shielded chambers for Neuroimaging experiments
  • 1000Hz Binocular Eye Tracker (research grade)
    • Desktop mount
    • Head Tracking
    • Experiment Builder and Analysis
    • API access to get the raw data
    • Digital inputs/Output (triggers, etc.)
    • Simultaneous fMRI and Eye-tracking setup
  • 64 Channel ExG [EEG, ECoG, ECG, EMG and EOG] machine (research grade)
    • Active electrodes
    • Passive electrodes
    • Hyper Scanning
    • Digital inputs (triggers, etc.)
    • Battery operated for field recordings
    • Real-time online processing
    • Closed-loop neuromodulation (e.g. Neurofeedback)
    • Simultaneous TMS/tDCS/fNIRS recording setup
  • 32 Channel Wireless EEG [4 Ch ExG] machine (research grade)
    • Active electrodes
    • Hyper Scanning
    • Simultaneous fNIRS and EEG recording
    • Digital inputs (triggers, etc.)
    • Battery operated for field recordings
    • Real-time online processing
    • Neurofeedback
  • 8 Channel wireless fNIRS machine (research grade)
    • Simultaneous EEG and fNIRS recording
    • Digital inputs (triggers etc.)
    • Battery operated for field recordings
  • Physiological Sensors (research grade)
    • Temperature sensor
    • Respiration effort sensor
    • Respiration airflow sensor
    • Oxygen saturation sensor (SpO2)
    • Galvanic skin response sensor (GSR)
  • Trigger Box (millisecond)
    • visual sensor
    • auditory sensor
    • electrical or tactile sensor
  • Millisecond Response box
  • Sound level meter
  • Tests/Questionnaires
    • Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM)
    • Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM)
    • Emotion Processing Scale (EPS)
    • Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS 2)
    • Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (GARS-3)
    • Conners Parent Rating Scale Revised-Long (CPRS-R-L)
    • Brown Executive Function / Attention Scales Comprehensive Hand Scoring Starter Kit (All Ages)
    • Brief Cognitive Status Exam (BCSE)
  • Software
    • E-Prime 3.0

 

Collaborators of CBN Lab

 Bar-Ilan University, Israel
 Central Institute of Psychiatry, India
 Christ University, India
 IIT Bombay, India
 King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Thailand
 Lund University, Sweden
 Monash University, Australia
 Monash University, Malaysia
 National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
 NIMH, INSERM, University of Caen Normandie, France
 Southern Illinois University Carbondale, USA
 Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, India
 University College London, UK
 University of Delhi, India
 University of Exeter Business School, UK
 University of Fribourg, Switzerland
 University of Geneva, Switzerland
 University of Guelph, Canada
 University of New South Wales, Australia
 University of Zurich, Switzerland
 Bangor University, UK
 CBCS, University of Allahabad, India
 Princeton University, USA 
 UniDistance Suisse, Switzerland
 University of Birmingham, UK
 University of California San Diego, USA
 University of Southern California, USA
 Yale University, USA

 

Funding Agencies (Research grants)

Department of Science Technology (DST) - Cognitive Science Research Initiative (CSRI) (Ongoing) 
Department of Health Research (DHR) -  Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) (Ongoing)
Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) - Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) (Ongoing)
Shastri Research Grant (SRG), Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute (SICI) (Completed)
Industrial Research And Consultancy Centre (IRCC) SEED and Augmented (Ongoing)
IITB-Monash Academy (Completed)
Nehru Fulbright fellowship grant (Completed)
Koita Centre for Digital Health (KCDH) (Ongoing)
Tata Centre for Technology and Design (TCTD) (Completed)
Wadhwani Research Center for Bioengineering (WRCB) (Completed)
Sunita Sanghi Centre of Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases (SCAN) (Ongoing)

Supported by

Department of Science Technology (DST)Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)Department of Health Research (DHR)Industrial Research And Consultancy Centre (IRCC)Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute (SICI)IITB-Monash AcademyKoita Centre for Digital Health (KCDH)Tata Centre for Technology and Design (TCTD)Sunita Sanghi Centre of Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases (SCAN)
Research Category
Lab