Jan Lauwereyns
Encyclopedia
Jan Lauwereyns full name Johan Marc José Lauwereyns, is a poet
, essayist, and scientist. As a cognitive neuroscientist, he specializes in the voluntary control of attention
and decision making. He has published articles in journals such as Nature, Neuron, and Trends in Cognitive Sciences, and the monograph The Anatomy of Bias with The MIT Press. As a multilingual poet, he gained an international reputation for innovative work.
. He obtained his Ph.D. at the Catholic University of Leuven
, Belgium, in 1998 with a thesis on the intentionality of visual selective attention. He has since conducted research and lectured on the neural mechanisms of perception
and decision making
at several institutes, including the U.S. National Institutes of Health
(Bethesda, Maryland), Juntendo University
(Tokyo, Japan), and Victoria University of Wellington
(Wellington, New Zealand). He is currently Professor in the Graduate School of Systems Life Sciences at Kyushu University
(Fukuoka, Japan) and Adjunct Research Associate at Victoria University of Wellington. As of February 2010, he is Section Editor for Psychology at PLoS One
. In 2010, The MIT Press published his monograph The Anatomy of Bias, an integrative account of the structure and function of bias and sensitivity. Lauwereyns connects findings and ideas in neuroscience to analogous concepts in psychonanalysis, literary theory, philosophy of mind, and experimental economics. "The book offers a 'point of entry' in a fascinating field and a source of inspiration for further research".
. According to the Flemish Literature Fund, his "analytical approach of poetic subjects produces a remarkable effect: funny, incisive and unsettling all at once. It is a poetry of crackling brain cells". Lauwereyns is Associate Editor of the Belgian literary journal DW B, and often works in collaboration with other writers and artists, including Leo Vroman
, Patricia de Martelaere
, Rachel Levitsky, Arkadii Dragomoshchenko
, Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven
, and Michael Palmer
.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, essayist, and scientist. As a cognitive neuroscientist, he specializes in the voluntary control of attention
Attention
Attention is the cognitive process of paying attention to one aspect of the environment while ignoring others. Attention is one of the most intensely studied topics within psychology and cognitive neuroscience....
and decision making. He has published articles in journals such as Nature, Neuron, and Trends in Cognitive Sciences, and the monograph The Anatomy of Bias with The MIT Press. As a multilingual poet, he gained an international reputation for innovative work.
Cognitive neuroscientist
Lauwereyns was born in Antwerp, BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. He obtained his Ph.D. at the Catholic University of Leuven
Catholic University of Leuven
The Catholic University of Leuven, or of Louvain, was the largest, oldest and most prominent university in Belgium. The university was founded in 1425 as the University of Leuven by John IV, Duke of Brabant and approved by a Papal bull by Pope Martin V.During France's occupation of Belgium in the...
, Belgium, in 1998 with a thesis on the intentionality of visual selective attention. He has since conducted research and lectured on the neural mechanisms of perception
Perception
Perception is the process of attaining awareness or understanding of the environment by organizing and interpreting sensory information. All perception involves signals in the nervous system, which in turn result from physical stimulation of the sense organs...
and decision making
Decision making
Decision making can be regarded as the mental processes resulting in the selection of a course of action among several alternative scenarios. Every decision making process produces a final choice. The output can be an action or an opinion of choice.- Overview :Human performance in decision terms...
at several institutes, including the U.S. National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
(Bethesda, Maryland), Juntendo University
Juntendo University
is a private university in Japan. Its headquarters are on its campus in Bunkyo, Tokyo for School of Medicine and in Hiragagakuendai, Inzai, Chiba for School of Health and Sports Science...
(Tokyo, Japan), and Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a former constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It is particularly well known for its programmes in law, the humanities, and some scientific disciplines, but offers a broad range of other courses...
(Wellington, New Zealand). He is currently Professor in the Graduate School of Systems Life Sciences at Kyushu University
Kyushu University
Kyushu University is one of the most prestigious universities in Japan. It can be seen in the several rankings such as shown below.-General Rankings:The university has been ranked 8th in 2010 and 2009 in the ranking "Truly Strong Universities" by Toyo Keizai...
(Fukuoka, Japan) and Adjunct Research Associate at Victoria University of Wellington. As of February 2010, he is Section Editor for Psychology at PLoS One
PLoS ONE
PLoS ONE is an open access peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Public Library of Science since 2006. It covers primary research from any discipline within science and medicine. All submissions go through an internal and external pre-publication peer review but are not excluded on the...
. In 2010, The MIT Press published his monograph The Anatomy of Bias, an integrative account of the structure and function of bias and sensitivity. Lauwereyns connects findings and ideas in neuroscience to analogous concepts in psychonanalysis, literary theory, philosophy of mind, and experimental economics. "The book offers a 'point of entry' in a fascinating field and a source of inspiration for further research".
Multilingual poet
Lauwereyns has published single-author volumes of poetry in his native language, Dutch, and in Japanese and English. He has received several prizes and nominations for his work in Dutch, as well as grants from the Flemish Literature Fund and Creative New ZealandCreative New Zealand
The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government, investing in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes and developing markets and audiences for New Zealand arts domestically and internationally...
. According to the Flemish Literature Fund, his "analytical approach of poetic subjects produces a remarkable effect: funny, incisive and unsettling all at once. It is a poetry of crackling brain cells". Lauwereyns is Associate Editor of the Belgian literary journal DW B, and often works in collaboration with other writers and artists, including Leo Vroman
Leo Vroman
Leo Vroman is a Dutch-American hematologist, a prolific poet mainly in Dutch and an illustrator. Vroman was born in Gouda and he studied biology in Utrecht. When the Nazis occupied the Netherlands on May 10, 1940, he fled to London. From there he traveled to the Dutch East Indies. He finished his...
, Patricia de Martelaere
Patricia de Martelaere
Patricia De Martelaere was a Flemish writer. She was born in Zottegem, Belgium. She graduated in philosophy at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven...
, Rachel Levitsky, Arkadii Dragomoshchenko
Arkadii Dragomoshchenko
Arkadii Dragomoshchenko is a Russian poet, writer, translator, and lecturer. He is considered the foremost representative of language poetry in contemporary Russian literature.-Biography:...
, Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven
Anne-Mie van Kerckhoven
Anne-Mie van Kerckhoven is a Belgian artist whose work involves painting, drawing, computer art and video art.-Biography:Anne-Mie van Kerckhoven was born in Antwerpen and lives in Antwerpen and Berlin....
, and Michael Palmer
Michael Palmer
Michael Palmer is an American poet and translator. He attended Harvard University where he earned a BA in French and a MA in Comparative Literature. He has worked extensively with Contemporary dance for over thirty years and has collaborated with many composers and visual artists...
.
In English
- The Anatomy of Bias: How Neural Circuits Weigh the Options. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0-262-12310-5
- Three Poems. (with 27 + 3 drawings by Johan Velter) Reading: JOUGA, 2010.
- Truths of Stone. (co-authored by Michael Palmer, with a drawing by Nicolas Leus; bilingual edition with a Dutch translation by Tom van de Voorde) Ghent, Belgium: Druksel, 2010.
- Shoaling Things. (co-authored in Russian by Arkadii Dragomoshchenko, with a drawing by Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven; translated into Dutch by Jan Lauwereyns and Evgeny Pavlov) Ghent, Belgium: Druksel, 2011.
Translated into English
- Song of the Lake. (Radiobook) Translated by Michael O'Loughlin. Brussels, Belgium: DeBuren, 2009.
In Dutch
- Nagelaten sonnetten. [Posthumous Sonnets] Antwerp, Belgium: Manteau, 1999. ISBN 90-223-1519-3
- Het zwijgen van de dichter. [The Silence of the Poet] Ghent, Belgium: Druksel, 2001.
- Blanke verzen. [Blank Verse] Tielt, Belgium: Lannoo, 2001. ISBN 90-223-1519-3
- De boeke-kas. Waartoe zo veel?. [The Book-Case. Why So Many?] Ghent, Belgium: Druksel, 2002.
- Buigzaamheden. [Flexibilities] Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Meulenhoff, 2002. ISBN 90-290-7223-7
- Monkey business. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Meulenhoff, 2003. ISBN 90-290-7378-0
- Het bloembed van de werkelijkheid. [The Flowerbed of Reality] Ghent, Belgium: Druksel, 2004.
- Tegenvoetig, tweebenig. [Antipodean, Bipedal] Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Meulenhoff, 2004. ISBN 90-290-7574-0
- Splash. Nijmegen, The Netherlands: Vantilt, 2005. ISBN 90-775-0326-9
- Anophelia! De mug leeft. [Anophelia! The Mosquito Lives] Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Meulenhoff|Manteau, 2007. ISBN 978-90-8542-093-4
- Ik, systeem, de werkelijkheid. (co-authored by Leo Vroman, with an image by Jus Juchtmans) [I, System, Reality] Ghent, Belgium: Druksel, 2007.
- Vloeistof en welvaart. [Liquid and Welfare] Amsterdam, The Netherlands: De Bezige Bij, 2008. ISBN 978-90-2342-878-7
- Lied van het meer. (Radiobook) [Song of the Lake] Brussels, Belgium: DeBuren, 2008.
- Zwelgen wij denkend rond. (co-authored by Leo Vroman) [Let's Wallow in Thought] Amsterdam, The Netherlands: De Bezige Bij, 2009. ISBN 978-90-2342-994-4
- Stemvork. (co-authored by Arnoud van Adrichem) [Tuning Fork] Utrecht, The Netherlands: IJzer, 2010. ISBN 978-90-8684-059-5
- De smaak van het geluid van het hart. [The Taste of the Sound of the Heart] Amsterdam, The Netherlands: De Bezige Bij, 2011. ISBN 978-90-5655-084-4
- Hemelsblauw. [Heaven's Blue] Amsterdam, The Netherlands: De Bezige Bij, 2011. ISBN 978-90-2345-732-9
In Japanese
- あたまがないへび. (bilingual edition with a Dutch translation by Jan Lauwereyns) [Headless Little Viper] Ghent, Belgium: Druksel, 2009.
- 馬を野に放つ. (co-authored by Kiwao Nomura, with images by Kris Martin; bilingual edition with a Dutch translation by Jan Lauwereyns) [Loose a Horse in the Field] Ghent, Belgium: Druksel, 2011.
Selected honors and awards
- Nomination C. Buddingh' Prize, 1999.
- Visiting Fellowship, U.S. National Institutes of HealthNational Institutes of HealthThe National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
, 2002. - Hugues C. Pernath Prize, 2003.
- Excellence in Research Award, Victoria University of WellingtonVictoria University of WellingtonVictoria University of Wellington was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a former constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It is particularly well known for its programmes in law, the humanities, and some scientific disciplines, but offers a broad range of other courses...
, 2004. - Nomination Flemish Culture Prize for Criticism and Essay, 2007.
- Long-term Invitation Fellowship, Japan Society for the Promotion of ScienceJapan Society for the Promotion of ScienceThe is an independent administrative institution in Japan, established for the purpose of contributing to the advancement of science in all fields of the natural and social sciences and the humanities.-History:...
, 2008. - Project Grant, Human Frontier Science ProgramHuman Frontier Science ProgramThe Human Frontier Science Program is a program, based in Strasbourg, France, that funds basic research in life sciences. HFSP is supported by 13 countries and the European Union...
, 2010 (with A.D. Redish, I. Tsuda, E. Wood, P. Dudchenko). - Gedichtendagessay [Poetry Day Essay], commissioned by the Flemish Literature Fund, 2011.
- Nomination VSB Poetry Prize, 2012.
External links
- JOUGA http://readingjouga.posterous.com
- Poetry International Web http://belgium.poetryinternationalweb.org/piw_cms/cms/cms_module/index.php?obj_id=6178
- The MIT Press http://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262123105
- DeBuren, Radiobooks http://www.radiobooks.eu/radioboek.php?id=241&lang=EN
- De Bezige Bij http://www.debezigebij.nl
- Druksel http://www.druksel.be
- DWB http://www.dwb.be
- Dubito Junior http://dubito.posterous.com