Leadership and Governance

Department Leadership

Department Head
Michale Fee

Associate Department Head, Diversity Officer, and Undergraduate Officer
Laura Schulz

Associate Department Head
Josh McDermott

Director of Education
Mehrdad Jazayeri

Graduate Officer
Mark Harnett

Postdoctoral Officer
Mark Bear

Space Officer
Nancy Kanwisher

Director of Administration and Finance
Tristan Davies

Committees

BCS Council

The BCS Council is a faculty committee that sets long-term strategies for the department. It serves as an advisory committee to ensure that departmental decisions are informed by a broad array of voices, and that all the leaders in the building are comfortable with and enthusiastic about those decisions.

Staff contact: Tristan Davies, Director of Administration and Finance

Education Committee

The Education Committee creates, reviews and approves curricula, classes, qualifying exams, and undergraduate and graduate degree requirements.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Communities of Practice

BCS and Building 46 community strive to build and sustain a diverse, open, welcoming culture, dedicated to academic excellence and a shared commitment to each other’s wellbeing. The Community of Practice is a cross-hierarchical, building-wide organization of people committed to developing an inclusive, fair and equitable culture where every individual, irrespective of his/her background, has a real chance to excel.

Learn more about DEIJ in BCS.

Staff contact: Farrah Belizaire, CEIJ Program Officer

Graduate Student Affairs Committee

The Graduate Student Affairs oversees the graduate program, including recruitment, admissions, mentorship, and student progress through the qualifying exams.

Staff contact: Sierra Vallin, Academic Administrator

Graduate Admissions Committee

Graduate Admissions oversees the admissions cycle.

Staff contact: Julianne Ormerod, Senior Graduate Program Coordinator

Seminar Committee

The Seminar Committee oversees the MIT Colloquium on the Brain and Cognition by suggesting, and accepting suggestions for, colloquium speakers; assessing current BCS colloquia series and proposing improvements; and reviewing proposals for new series or speakers.

Staff contact: Tristan Davies, Director of Administration and Finance

Junior Faculty Mentoring Committee

The charge of the BCS Junior Faculty Mentoring Committee is to assess the needs of junior faculty, recommend strategies to ensure effective mentorship, and help junior faculty obtain effective mentorship. This Committee is not an evaluation body, but a venue in which junior faculty can get advice without concern that they are being judged.

Staff contact: Tristan Davies, Director of Administration and Finance

Community Conveners

The Community Conveners are members of specific BCS sub-communities who assess needs, organize events, and represent their communities in decision-making processes.

Postdocs

Grad students

Undergraduates

  • Nahom Marie
  • Leigh-Ana Rossitto

Staff contact: Tristan Davies, Director of Administration and Finance

Computational Infrastructure Committee

This committee addresses the computational needs of the department.

Staff contact: Tristan Davies, Director of Administration and Finance