Joana Pedroso de Faria

Hi, I’m Joana, a Research Master’s student in Cognitive Neuroscience at Radboud University, specializing in Perception, Action, and Decision-Making. With a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Life Sciences and a minor in Neurobiophysics, I’m now interning in the Verhagen Lab under the supervision of Julian Kosciessa. My thesis explores how the mediodorsal and pulvinar thalamic nuclei help us adapt to perceptual and task uncertainty, using tools like Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation (TUS) and fMRI. I’m fascinated by how these deep brain regions shape our ability to make decisions when our perception of the world is imperfect and the rules of the game keep changing. When I’m not stimulating brains or analysing data, you’ll find me behind a camera capturing cultural events, advocating for social justice, or creating art that merges science, politics, and philosophy to make complex ideas accessible to all. I’m driven by the belief that the most transformative ideas emerge at the intersection of the seemingly disconnected—whether it’s the interplay of brain networks, the give and take between art and science, or the exchange of ideas across communities. Just as the brain learns to integrate diverse inputs so we can navigate uncertainty, it is vital for scientific innovation to include, serve and reflect everyone.