Erik Hoel

Erik Hoel is an American neuroscientist,[1] neurophilosopher,[2] and fiction writer. His main areas of research are the study and philosophy of consciousness, cognition, biological function of dreams, and mathematical theories of emergence. He is noted for using information theory and causal analysis to develop mathematical models to explore and understand the basis of consciousness and dreams.[3][4][5][6] Hoel holds a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and in 2018 was recipient of the Forbes 30 Under 30 – Science award.[7] He currently works as a research assistant professor at Tufts University.[8]

Erik Hoel
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison
Hampshire College
Scientific career
Fields
InstitutionsTufts University
Columbia University
Doctoral advisorGiulio Tononi
Websiteerikphoel.com

Career

Research

Hoel was previously a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Rafael Yuste at Columbia University[9] and a visiting fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.[10] He is known for the idea of "causal emergence", a formal theory about how macroscales of systems can have stronger causal relationships than their underlying microscale.[11] He has also developed the overfitted brain hypothesis, on how dreams evolved as a way to prevent overfitting during learning.[4][5]

Writing

The novelist Andre Dubus III tutored Hoel on writing when he was 13.[12]

Hoel has published essays in The Atlantic[13] and The Baffler,[14] among others.[15]

The Revelations

In 2021, Hoel published The Revelations, a mystery novel set at New York University concerning a fictional scholarship program that brings together eight young consciousness researchers, one of whom is murdered.[16] Publishers Weekly called it "a dizzying, impressive debut".[17]

Personal life

Hoel is married to Julia Buntaine Hoel, a fellow neuroscientist, artist, and founder of the SciArt Initiative. They have a son, born in 2021.[12]

Bibliography

Fiction

  • Hoel, Erik (2021). The Revelations: A Novel (First ed.). New York: Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 978-1419750229.

Nonfiction

  • Hoel, Erik (July 25, 2023). The World Behind the World: Consciousness, Free Will, and the Limits of Science. Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-9821-5938-2.

Selected articles[18]

References
  1. "New Math Untangles the Mysterious Nature of Causality". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  2. Horgan, John. "Second Thoughts on Whether Self-Knowledge Is Overrated". Scientific American Blog Network. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  3. "A Theory of Reality as More Than the Sum of Its Parts". Quanta Magazine. June 1, 2017. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  4. "New Math Untangles the Mysterious Nature of Causality". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  5. "Weird dreams train us for the unexpected, says new theory". the Guardian. May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  6. "Weird Dreams Keep Our Brains Fit, Help Humans Cope Better with Reality, Finds Study". www.news18.com. May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  7. "Erik Hoel". Forbes. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  8. "Erik Hoel | Department of Biology". as.tufts.edu. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  9. "Can we locate cause and effect in the brain?". giving.columbia.edu. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  10. "Erik Hoel – Scholars | Institute for Advanced Study". www.ias.edu. December 9, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  11. Musser, George (May 4, 2017). "A Theory of Consciousness Can Help Build a Theory of Everything". Nautilus. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  12. Correspondent, James Sullivan Globe; June 28, Updated. "Jabberwocky Books hatches a new novelist: the owner's son – The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved May 10, 2022.(subscription required)
  13. Hoel, Erik P. (October 21, 2015). "'City on Fire': Will Television Ruin Fiction?". The Atlantic. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  14. "Enter the Supersensorium | Erik Hoel". The Baffler. May 4, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  15. "Is there a scientific case for literature? A neuroscientist novelist argues yes". Salon. April 18, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  16. "Bookish: Mixing Science and Fiction in a Literary Novel". Tufts Now. June 8, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  17. "Fiction Book Review: The Revelations by Erik Hoel. Overlook, $27 (368p) ISBN 978-1-4197-5022-9". PublishersWeekly.com. November 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  18. "Science". ERIK HOEL. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
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