Since 2005, I hold a full time research position (Chargé de Recherche) at CNRS (French National Center for Scientific Research), and I work at the LPNC, the Psychology and NeuroCognition Laboratory, in Grenoble, in the Language team led by H. Loevenbruck. In 2015, I have defended my HDR (Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches) in Computer Science (at the Ecole Doctorale “Mathématiques, Sciences et Technologies de l’Information, Informatique”).
My research concerns probabilistic modeling of cognitive systems. I am interested both in natural and artificial cognitive systems; in other words, my research is multidisciplinary, at the crossroads between mathematics and computer science, on the one hand, and cognitive science and experimental psychology, on the other hand.
In this context, I use Bayesian Programming as a modeling framework. This means defining cognitive models as probability distributions, which can be structured in an arbitrarily complex manner. Therefore, contrary to the current trend of Bayesian modeling as “optimal modeling”, I define Bayesian models at the algorithmic level of Marr’s hierarchy. The resulting “Bayesian algorithmic models” are then mathematically manipulated to predict function, thanks to Bayesian inference.
The main research topic I am interested in, in the context of Bayesian algorithmic cognitive modeling, is the interplay and exchange of probabilistic information in complex model structures, with, for instance, the interaction between perception and action processes, or the interaction between top-down and bottom-up processes. I work on two main objects of study:
- Bayesian modeling of speech perception and production (with the COSMO family of models);
- Bayesian modeling of visual word recognition and reading (with the BRAID model and its variants).
If you wish to know more, you can find on this website more information: on the research page, I quickly describe some aspects of these research topics, or you can browse my publication list, where relevant papers are accessible, or take a look at lecture slides and accompanying material (from the introductory lectures I give at the masters’ and PhD levels).
You can also check my LinkedIn profile, my ResearchGate profile, or my Google Scholar profile. Whew!
You can also always shoot me an e-mail for more information, or if you are interested in potential collaboration or internship. My email address is my first name dot my last name @ univ dash grenoble dash alpes dot fr. Comments about this website are also welcome! 🙂
Julien Diard's homepage 