Aron K. Barbey

Aron Keith Barbey (born January 6, 1977) is an American cognitive neuroscientist, who investigates the neural architecture of human intelligence and brain plasticity. Barbey is the Emanuel Donchin Professorial Scholar of Psychology and a Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Bioengineering at the University of Illinois. He is director of the Decision Neuroscience Laboratory at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology,

He has used both classical lesion methods and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques to better understand neural architecture and its relationship to intelligence. He has suggested a framework called "structured event complex theory" that describes the inferential architecture of the prefrontal cortex.

His research group examines the effects of physical fitness, nutrition and cognitive neuroscience interventions (including TDCS) on brain health and intelligence across the human lifespan. In 2019, Barbey was awarded the Mensa Foundation Prize for his neuroscientific work studying human intelligence.

Education and career Aron Barbey received a B.A. from the University of Texas at Dallas in 1999, and a Ph.D. in Psychology from Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, in 2007.

From 2007-2011 Barbey was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Cognitive Neuroscience Section of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.

Professional activities

Aron Barbey is Associate Editor of Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. Barbey is also on the Editorial Boards of NeuroImage, Intelligence, and Thinking & Reasoning. He is a co-editor of the Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence and Cognitive Neuroscience (2021).

Research

Cognitive neuroscience of human intelligence

Barbey's research investigates the effects of human brain damage on intellectual and social functions, with particular emphasis on the prefrontal cortex.

In a series of studies, emotional intelligence, social intelligence, fluid intelligence, working memory, cognitive flexibility, and discourse comprehension.

Barbey's research has also revealed molecular genetic markers that predict general intelligence following traumatic brain injury.

Cognitive neuroscience methods to enhance human intelligence

A central goal of Barbey's research is to establish and validate cognitive neuroscience-directed interventions to enhance human intelligence. Barbey is the Principal Investigator of the IARPA-sponsored INSIGHT project, along with co-investigators Arthur F. Kramer, Neal J. Cohen, and Charles H. Hillman.

Funding Barbey's Decision Neuroscience Laboratory is supported by large-scale private and federal research grants and contracts, including the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the Director of National Intelligence's research agency, IARPA, and contracts for $10 million from Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for the study of individual optimization of human performance in the U.S. military using artificial intelligence.

Selected books

Selected papers