Arnaud's Story

My path through science has been shaped by a persistent curiosity about how the brain creates our experience of the world -- and whether consciousness might be more fundamental than we assume.

• 1988–1993 · Paris, France

  Studied mathematics, physics, biology, and computer science at the University of Paris XII (now Paris-Est Créteil). Dual training in sciences and engineering, with a DEA (Masters) in Cognitive Science from Paris VI. This interdisciplinary foundation -- mathematics, biology, and programming -- set the stage for everything that followed.

• 1994–1998 · Toulouse

  PhD at the Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition (CERCO) under the supervision of Simon Thorpe and Michèle Fabre-Thorpe. Investigated ultra-rapid visual categorization -- how the human brain can recognize complex scenes in under 150 milliseconds. Developed SpikeNet, a neural network simulator optimized for modeling these fast visual processes.

• 1999 · SpikeNet Technology

  Co-founded SpikeNet Technology, a startup commercializing the SpikeNet neural network for real-time face and object recognition. The technology was later acquired by BrainChip Holdings, an AI hardware company.

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  2000–2002 · Salk Institute, La Jolla

  Post-doctoral research with Terrence Sejnowski at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Began developing what would become EEGLAB -- an open-source toolbox for EEG analysis incorporating Independent Component Analysis. Partnered with Scott Makeig to create a comprehensive platform that has since become the most widely used EEG software worldwide.

• 2002–present · UCSD / Swartz Center

  Research Scientist at the Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of California San Diego. Continued developing EEGLAB (now cited over 47,000 times), led the creation of data standards (BIDS-EEG), and built the NEMAR open neuroimaging data archive. Organized 34+ EEGLAB workshops worldwide, training thousands of researchers.

• 2005–present · CNRS / CerCo, France

  Principal investigator and collaborator on multiple CNRS- and ANR-supported research projects in France, focusing on EEG, mind wandering, and human-machine interaction. Beginning in 2005, initiated my first systematic studies of meditation and mind wandering, and mentored 9 Ph.D. students.

• 2012–present · Institute of Noetic Sciences

  Researcher at IONS, where my focus shifted toward consciousness as a primary research subject. Led studies on meditation, mind wandering, and the neural correlates of contemplative practice. Investigated whether consciousness might be fundamental rather than emergent -- a question that drives both my scientific work and my writing.

• 2023 · Author

  Published Why Our Minds Wander, a popular science book synthesizing research on mind wandering, attention, and meditation. The book bridges cognitive neuroscience with practical techniques for focus and well-being.

• 2026 · Fiction meets theory

  Published The Noetic Particle, a hard science fiction novel that encodes a scientifically grounded theory of consciousness in narrative form -- extending the ideas explored in research into the domain of speculative fiction.