10: Sebastien Hélie, Ph.D. – Award-Winning Associate Professor and Investigator Reveals his Academic Journey Coming to America

Masters in Psychology Podcast

Dr. Sebastien Hélie is a French Canadian originally from Quebec. He grew up in a suburb of Montreal where he eventually received his Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Master of Science in Cognitive Psychology from the Universite de Montreal. During this time, he learned about computational psychology or mathematical psychology which sparked his interest to pursue this further. He found a professor at the Universite du Quebec A Montreal (UQAM) who was working in this field and explains this was the main reason for attending UQAM for his doctorate. After receiving his Ph.D. in Cognitive Computer Science, he continued his academic journey by moving to the United States where he moved from coast to coast before landing his perfect job at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. In this podcast interview, Dr. Hélie recounts his academic journey in more detail and explains how and why he attended different university programs. He explains how the academic system in Canada is different from the one in the US and offers advice to those interested in getting a graduate degree in psychology. Dr. Hélie is an Associate Professor in the Dept. of Psychological Sciences and the Dept. of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. He is the Principal Investigator in the Laboratory for Computational Cognitive Neuroscience and the Director of the Center for Research on Brain, Behavior, and NeuroRehabilitation (CEREBBRAL). Dr. Hélie received the International Neural Network Society (INNS) Young Investigator Award and, more recently, the Trailblazer Award. He serves on the Leadership Team of the Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience and explains his passion for his current and past research. He discusses how an fMRI and EEG are used in his lines of research and explains the origin of CERBBRAL. Throughout the interview, Dr. Hélie provides impactful advice to both students and professors alike regarding the admission process, getting involved in research and labs, as well as research and grant writing. He fondly recalls his work with advisors and other professors throughout his career and shares some of the important things he has learned along the way. Connect with Dr. Sebastien Hélie: Purdue Faculty PageConnect with the Show: Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter https://vimeo.com/564518159 Interests and Specializations Dr. Hélie is interested in cognitive neuroscience, computational cognitive neuroscience, rule learning, skill acquisition, creative problem solving, decision-making and the evaluation process. Having received his Ph.D. in Cognitive Computer Science, he applies this training to his research and interests to better understand and measure cognitive learning concepts. Dr. Hélie admits that his favorite part of his job is mentoring his students as they keep him on his toes and continually challenge ideas discussed in the lab. Education Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.), Psychology (2001); Universite de Montreal.Master of Science (M.Sc.), Cognitive Psychology (2003); University de Montreal.Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Cognitive Computer Science (2007); Universite du Quebec A Montreal. Other Sources and Links of Interest Communicating Neurons Video - by Sebastien HélieSebastien Hélie on Google Scholar Podcast Transcription 00:00:10 BradleyWelcome to the Master's in Psychology Podcast, where psychology students can learn from psychologists, educators, and practitioners to better understand what they do, how they got there, and hear the advice they have for those interested in getting a graduate degree in psychology. I'm your host Brad Schumacher and today we welcome Dr. Sebastian Hélie to the show. Dr. Hélie is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences and the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at Purdue University. He received his doctoral degree in Cognitive Computer Science from the University of Quebec in Montreal. Dr.