Human brains serve many important functions, including being the seat of consciousness and the unconscious; locus of control of language and creativity; motor of knowledge, memory, judgment and problem-solving; regulator of movement and emotion as well as processor of sense perception. New knowledge about the relationship between the structure, activity and functions of the human brain, and human cognition, emotion and behaviour are crucial to improve human well-being and mental health across one’s lifespan.

The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) of CityU endeavours to cultivate interdisciplinary education and cutting-edge research to solve the challenges facing the world. After the establishment of the three research clusters, namely One Health, Digital Society and Smart City, CLASS has announced the establishment of its fourth research cluster, Brain, which focuses on studying the human brain and its impact on affective, behavioural and cognitive functions. The new Brain cluster gathers researchers in the fields of not only humanities and social sciences, but also neuroscience, computer science and information technology to develop a better understanding of the human brain.

On 18 and 19 May 2022, the Department of Media and Communication (COM), together with CLASS, co-hosted the inaugural Brain research cluster online symposium featuring 19 moderators and speakers. Dean of CLASS Professor Richard M WALKER welcomed the participants and kicked off the online symposium. He was delighted to announce the establishment of a new research cluster to bring people to the new initiative and focus on studying the human brain. He also explained the motivations behind creating this cluster, hoping to solicit multiple forces across the faculty to help solve global problems and challenges.

Next, Professor Fiona NAH Fui-hoon of COM, Convenor of the Brain cluster, introduced the new cluster and its members, and the topic and schedule of each session in the two-day symposium. The topics included neural understanding of language, neural mechanisms of mindfulness, neural mechanisms of psychological flow, visual attention across the human lifespan, and functional brain networks. Roundtable discussions were arranged at the end of Day 1 and 2 for CityU faculty members, students and potential collaborators to exchange ideas on research needs, interests and potential collaborations. The symposium was attended by 180 participants.

The online symposium showcased the fruitful research findings of local and international scholars from prominent institutions around the world on the study of the human brain, and presented the application of advanced technology and knowledge in the fields of linguistics and languages, communication and media, psychology, and cognitive neuroscience.

View more information about CLASS Brain research cluster:
https://research.class.cityu.edu.hk/brain/