Biography

Short biography

Stephen Whitmarsh (1979) is a Dutch/English neuroscience researcher, artist and producer. As a scientist, he investigates how the brain generates epileptic activity, using intercranial recordings from chronically implanted epileptic patients. As an artist and producer, he creates cross-disciplinary art-science events around the world, informed by neuroscience and artistic collaborations. He is President and co-founder of the EEGsynth open-source software for Brain-Computer-Music-Interfaces, and co-founder of 1+1=3, an association for artistic-scientific production.

Long biography

Stephen Whitmarsh (1979) is a Dutch/English neuroscience researcher, artist and producer. He obtained his MSc in experimental psychology at the University of Amsterdam, his PhD in neuroscience at the Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, and his MA in Art and Media Production at Linköping University. His scientific work currently focusses on the analyses of intercranial recordings of action potentials and local field potentials in chronically implanted epileptic patients. His goal is to gain a more multi-level understanding on the origin of epileptic activity and it’s relationship to different states of vigilance, to improve diagnosis and treatment. He is President and co-founder of the EEGsynth open-source software for Brain-Computer-Music-Interfaces, and co-founder of 1+1=3, an association for artistic-scientific production. He has been part of the art collective Ouunpo since its conception in 2009, organizing its 6th session in Amsterdam (2010) and 14nth session in Stockholm (2014). Straddling these different interests and identities, he has created cross-disciplinary art-science events around the world, often collaborative, performative, interactive and experiential, drawn from his insights in neuroscience and investigative methods. Due to restrictions in public activity due to COVID-19, he is currently focusing on his music project, in which he explores biological and technological electromagnetic signals with modular synthesis.

Summary of experience

Cognitive neuroscience, epilepsy, neuroscience and biophysics. MEG, EEG, iEEG, MRI, Pupillometry, ECG, EMG, and microelectrode multi-unit recordings. Personal and professional aptitude in management of advanced multi-disciplinary and multi-team research projects. Highly active in original and creative public outreach projects, education and organization of academic events.

Statement of Research Goals

My research is highly multidisciplinary, both in terms of its scope (from neurophysiology to cognitive neuroscience, culture and art), as well as its methodology (from the analyses of spontaneous brain signals and single neuron recordings, to cognitive experiments, real-time brain-computer-interfaces and cultural art installations). I investigate metacognition as an overarching perspective. Specifically, I investigate which neuronal behaviours underlie conscious experience, and how, vice-versa, our attention shapes the organization of our brain functions. Important in this approach is the detailed investigation of anatomical pathologies and corresponding functional changes that occur during epilepsy. I am specifically interested in the effect of arousal and sleep on the occurrence and organization of non-clinical (inter-ictal) event, and clinical seizures. The availability of state-of-the-art recordings of single neurons within both health and pathological tissues allow the unprecedented window into the waking and sleeping brain.

Education and academic positions

Whitmarsh, S., Gitton, C., Jousmäki, V., Sackur, J., & Tallon‐Baudry, C. (2021). Neuronal correlates of the subjective experience of attention. European Journal of Neuroscience link

de Paulis, D., Whitmarsh, S., Oostenveld, R., Dumas, G., Sanders, M. (2020) ‘COGITO in Space”: a thought experiment in exo-neurobiology. Earth and Space Science Open Archive

Frazzini, V.*, Whitmarsh, S.*, Lambrecq, V., Lehongre, K., Yger, P., Mathon, B., Adam, C., Hasboun, D., Navarro, V. Micro-electrode in vivo signatures of human periventricular heterotopia (preprint, shared first author)

Whitmarsh, S., Jensen, O., Barendregt H. (preprint) Mindfulness meditation experience is associated with increased ability to monitor covert somatosensory attention

Whitmarsh, S., Oostenveld, R., Almeida, R., Lundqvist, D. (2016) Metacognition of attention during tactile discrimination. NeuroImage link

Bourguignon, M, Whitmarsh, S., Piitulainen, H., Hari, R., Jousmäki, V., Lundqvist, D. (2015) Reliable recording and analysis of MEG-based corticokinematic coherence in the presence of strong magnetic artifacts. Clin Neurophysiol. pdf

Xie M., Schneiderman, J., Chukharkin, A., Whitmarsh, S., Lundqvist, D., Winkler, D. (2014) High-Tc SQUID vs. Low-Tc SQUID-Based Recordings on a Head Phantom: Benchmarking for Magnetoencephalography. IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity. pdf

Whitmarsh, S., Schoffelen, J., Barendregt, H.P., Jensen, O. (2013) Metacognitive awareness of covert somatosensory attention corresponds to contralateral alpha power. NeuroImage. pdf

Whitmarsh, S., Udden, J., Barendregt, H.P., Petersson, K.M.P. (2013) Mindfulness reduces habitual responding based on implicit knowledge: Evidence from Artificial Grammar Learning. Consciousness and Cognition

Whitmarsh, S., Nieuwenhuis, I.L.C., Barendregt H.P., and Jensen, O. (2011) Sensorimotor alpha activity is modulated in response to the observation of pain in others. Frontiers of Human Neuroscience link