About Us

The Embodied Computation Group (ECG) is a multidisciplinary research lab located at Aarhus University and Cambridge Psychiatry, led by Dr Micah Allen. We investigate how our decision-making, emotion, and conscious perception are shaped by visceral and embodied processes.

Our team brings together expertise in computational modelling, psychophysics, physiological measurement, and advanced neuroimaging to probe the embodied brain. We are committed to open science practices and collaborative research.

Our Approach

We combine cutting-edge methods to understand brain-body interaction:

Research Themes

Our work spans two interconnected domains:

Basic Research: We investigate the neural mechanisms underpinning visceral inference - how the brain processes and integrates signals from the body to shape perception, emotion, and decision-making.

Clinical Research: We apply our understanding of brain-body interaction to better understand populations suffering from disordered interoception and mental illness, with the goal of developing new interventions.

Partner Institutions

Key Collaborators

Name Institution Research Focus
Daniel Kluger Universität Münster Body-brain interactions and respiration-linked perception
Ignacio Rebollo German Institute of Human Nutrition Gut-brain interactions and visceral signals
Karen Kallesøe Aarhus University Functional somatic disorders and iCBT
Karl Friston UCL Free energy principle, active inference, and brain imaging
Olga Pollatos Ulm University Interoception, health psychology, and embodied cognition
Paul Fletcher Cambridge Computational psychiatry, psychosis, and eating behavior
Per Hove Thomsen Aarhus University Child psychiatry and ADHD
Peter Dayan MPI Biological Cybernetics Decision-making, neuromodulators, and theoretical neuroscience
Sahib Khalsa UCLA Interoception and anxiety disorders
Stephen Fleming UCL Metacognition and conscious awareness
Tobias Hauser University of Tübingen Developmental computational psychiatry, OCD, and ADHD
Tricia Seow UCL Metacognition and computational psychiatry

Funding

Our research is generously supported by:

Contact

If you’re interested in our work or potential collaborations, please get in touch via email or follow us on Twitter @visceral_mind.