01
Cognitive Science
Attention, memory, decision-making and the mental models people use to understand the world.
Professor · Researcher · Mentor
Making complex ideas feel alive.
A classroom that blends rigorous research, visual thinking and generous mentorship, exploring how people learn, remember and build mental models.
memory = attention
× context
× curiosity
learning → meaning
keep asking why.
A teaching philosophy
“A good lecture should leave a question behind that is more interesting than the answer.”
Scholarship with a human pulse.
For more than a decade I've taught undergraduate and graduate courses across cognitive science, learning design and research methods. My approach turns difficult concepts into memorable models without losing intellectual precision.
I advise interdisciplinary research teams, mentor early-career scholars and speak on evidence-based teaching.
14
years teaching
38
papers & chapters
126
student researchers
Academic focus
How I work.
Research, teaching and mentorship meet at the same question: how can knowledge become more useful, memorable and shareable?
02
Learning Design
Evidence-led course design that connects theory, practice, reflection and authentic assessment.
03
Research Methods
Experimental design, mixed methods and clear analytical reasoning for interdisciplinary teams.
04
Mentorship
Helping emerging scholars frame strong questions, communicate findings and build confident research habits.
Selected scholarship
Research notes.
A selection of current and representative work, publications, grants or active research projects.
Journal study · 2026
The Attention Residue of Digital Learning
Investigating how rapid context switching changes comprehension, recall and confidence.
Discuss the work →Lab project · 2025–26
Sketching the Mind
A collaborative study of diagrams as cognitive scaffolds for teaching abstract concepts.
Discuss the work →Book chapter · 2025
Curiosity as a Learning Signal
How uncertainty and productive confusion can be designed into learning environments.
Discuss the work →Public scholarship
Making Research Legible
Essays and talks on communicating academic evidence with clarity, context and honesty.
Discuss the work →Academic journey
Teaching & service.
An academic timeline focused on roles, curriculum leadership and student-facing work.
Professor of Cognitive Science · Northbridge University
Lead courses in cognition, research methods and learning design; supervise graduate researchers.
Associate Professor · Northbridge University
Built an interdisciplinary curriculum connecting psychology, education and human-computer interaction.
Assistant Professor · Meridian College
Taught foundational cognition courses and launched a mentored undergraduate research program.
Doctoral Researcher · Institute for Mind & Learning
Studied attention, memory and conceptual change through experimental and classroom-based research.
Professional enquiries
Let's put a question on the board.
For academic collaborations, guest lectures, research conversations, student-facing initiatives or speaking enquiries.
✉ e.rao@chalkwave.edu
☎ +1 555 0136
◈ Boston, MA