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Ian Lyons, Ph.D (Dept of Psychology)


Ian Lyons, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Georgetown. He received his Bachelors of Science in Cognitive Science from Brown University and his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Chicago.

Involvement in Research:

Dr. Lyons is currently the Principal Investigator for the Math Brain Lab, which is a developmental cognitive neuroscience lab dedicated to researching the “cognitive, emotional, and neural processes that shape numerical and mathematical thinking.” With a focus on how the brain processes mathematical information, a variety of applications are researched from an interdisciplinary perspective.

Inspiration:

Dr. Lyons was always interested in the philosophy of the mind, as it seemed like the best way to achieve clarity on his questions through scientific means. After studying a double major in cognitive science and neuroscience, he intended to work in a lab setting in his university’s cognitive science and linguistics departments. Fortunately, he was able to find professors that helped him apply the scientific method to his research questions, completing honors work at Brown Steven Silman in causal modeling. In 2005, Dr. Lyons pursued a post-baccalaureate while working as a full-time research assistant focusing on new fMRI research after graduating from his undergraduate program. The numerical and mathematical cognition element of the research sparked his interest in the field, which encouraged him to pursue the field further. With this in mind, his graduate studies focused on behavioral science and on “how the brain does math.” When Dr. Lyons was in college in the early 2000s, he spent time in China as he wanted to take language classes to branch out his educational experience. Coming from a small town in Colorado, he taught English in China for a year - later, he returned to South China after receiving a Fulbright Scholarship for another two years, re-igniting his interest in studying science at the graduate level.

Reflection:

Dr. Lyons noted that looking at his current outcomes, he could have reached his goal more efficiently - however, he recognizes that he does not regret these inefficiencies as he was able to take the time to figure out what he wished to learn. He also wished he recognized that there is value in being wrong and that conceptual strides can be made in frustrating situations by stepping back and understanding what the difficulty was. Furthermore, he also looks back to see how his experiment design could have been improved but notes that when trying new things, advances in science are still made. Being strategically wrong implies setting oneself up in a situation where being wrong is maximally useful.

Advice for Students:

Dr. Lyons assured that one’s path does not have to be linear in the scientific world, as his path might not be for everyone but rather one should take the time to find out what is right for you. He notes that science is only as good as the people doing it; given how much our society relies on science, we need more driven people to enter the field. Finally, he encourages students to knock on as many doors as possible through email and office hours, and that it is okay to hear no but to keep trying.