Sajad Kahali | PHD
I earned my Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Azad University in Iran, followed by a Master's degree in Cognitive Systems at Pompeu Fabra University in Spain. During my master's studies, I conducted my thesis research at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), where I explored the physiological relationship between cognitive flexibility and moral decision-making. After completing my master's, I worked as a research assistant at Eodyne Systems S.L., contributing to the development of Rehabilitation Body Tracking (RBT), a deep learning-based, end-to-end 3D human pose estimation system designed for science-driven neurorehabilitation applications.
My current PhD project investigates the brain's capacity to generate abstract knowledge from past experiences and how this process influences the creation of innovative narratives. Specifically, I focus on neural replay, a phenomenon initially identified through invasive electrophysiological studies in rodents, now increasingly recognized in humans through magnetoencephalography (MEG). Human neural replay, akin to rodent replay, involves rapid sequences that emphasize abstract cognitive representations rather than mere sensory replication. This process is crucial for memory consolidation and reorganization, allowing learned frameworks to be generalized and adapted effectively to new situations.