Daphne Bavelier. University of Rochester

Daphne Bavelier is an expert on how humans learn. In particular, she studies how the brain adapts to changes in experience, either by nature – for example, deafness – or by training – for example, playing video games. Initially trained in Biology at the ‘Ecole Normale Superieure de Paris’, she then received a PhD in Brain and Cognitive Sciences from MIT and trained in human brain plasticity at the Salk Institute.  Her work shows that playing fast-paced, action-packed entertainment video games typically thought to be mind-numbing actually benefits several aspects of behavior.  Exploiting this counter-intuitive finding, her lab now investigates how new media, such as video games, can be leveraged to foster learning and brain plasticity.