Emily S. Cross

Emily S. Cross

I am a cognitive neuroscientist and dancer based at ETH Zürich, where I lead the Social Brain Sciences (SBS) Team and co-direct the Social Brain in Action Laboratory (www.soba-lab.com). Through my research, I use complex action learning paradigms (often involving dance, acrobatics, and music), social interaction manipulations, and robots, in combination with brain imaging and brain stimulation, to explore how our brains and behaviours are shaped by different kinds of experience throughout the lifespan and across cultures.

I served as the Principal Investigator on the European Research Council Starting Grant entitled ‘Social Robots’, which ran from 2016-2024. Further funding of my research has been generously provided by the National Institutes of Health (USA), Humboldt Foundation (Germany), Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NL), Volkswagen Foundation (Germany), Economic and Social Research Council (UK), Ministry of Defense (UK), Marie Curie Actions (EU), Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol (Wales), Leverhulme Trust (UK), and the Australian Research Council (Australia).

In addition to research and teaching, I am passionate about raising the profile and participation of women in science, and engaging and enthusing the public about scientific research and how the arts and sciences and mutually benefit each other. I regularly present public lectures and interactive events that have people interacting with robots, learning to dance, and/or discovering new and exciting things about the human brain!

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  • Organization
    ETH Zurich
  • Profession
    Professor of Cognitive & Social Neuroscience, Head of the Social Brain Sciences Group

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