Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has recently launched a new department of Cognitive Science and has emerged as the first among the IITs to have a fully-fledged department of Cognitive Science. With an aim to devise futuristic technology by understanding, mirroring and adapting the complexity of the perception and processes of the human mind, IIT Kanpur has affirmed that the initiative will go a long way in mapping traditional Indian knowledge and understanding of the human mind with futuristic technology.

The Department of Cognitive Science is expected to prepare students for careers by bringing together knowledge in fields of artificial intelligence, business, data analysis, government intelligence, healthcare, human performance, information processing, law, marketing, product design, and software design. All these industry-oriented skills are certain to instill a futuristic approach among the students as well as assist them in their career perspectives.

The study of Cognitive Sciences traverses multiple disciplines such as anthropology, engineering, computer science, linguistics, medicine, neuroscience, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and others to offer multi-faceted explanations of individual and social behavior. Applications of cognitive science include understanding and developing methods for effective learning, remediation for mental-disorders, and development of better user interfaces to be utilized by software companies.

IIT Kanpur initially ventured into Cognitive Science, formally, by establishing an interdisciplinary program (IDP) in Cognitive Science on June 1, 2017. In 2019, a team of Cognitive Science experts as part of the National Advisory Committee visited the IIT Kanpur campus. As per IIT Kanpur, the team had recommended the formation of a Cognitive Science department. The proposal to start the new department was approved at the meeting of the board of governors held on December 7, 2020.

Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Director, IIT Kanpur, said, “The pioneering step of establishing a separate department for Cognitive Science is expected to provide impetus to the research and teaching programs in Cognitive Science at IIT Kanpur. The new department will address this lacuna and help India to become a pioneer in the field of cognitive science. The department will study the working of the human mind and mechanisms in the brain involved in mental processes and interface with departments like BSBE on neuroscience-related areas. The new department will also work in collaboration with the Computer Sciences and Engineering department to develop new artificially intelligent and machine-learning interfaces.”