Fernand GOBET
Professorial Research Fellow Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science	Professor of Psychology School of Psychology

ExpertMind PhD Opportunities Recent Research Funding Research interests Publications by type Publications by topic Google Scholar Curriculum Vitae Official LSE page

Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science London School of Economics and Political Science London WC2A 2AE United Kingdom f.gobet@lse.ac.uk School of Psychology University of Roehampton London SW15 4JD United Kingdom fernand.gobet@roehampton.ac.uk

Latest

books

Connolly, C. & Gobet, F. (2020). Transition Expertise and Identity: A Study of Individuals Who Succeeded Repeatedly in Life and Career Transitions. Cambridge University Press.
Addis, M., Lane, P., Sozou, P., & Gobet, F. (Editors) (2019). Scientific discovery in the social sciences. New York: Springer.
Gobet, F. (2015). Understanding expertise: A multidisciplinary approach. London: Palgrave.
Gobet, F. (2018). The psychology of chess. London: Routledge.

PhD Opportunities

Please contact me if you are interested in doing a PhD in my current domains of research, including:

• Career transitions and leadership
• Psychology of expertise
• Computational modelling with the CHREST architecture
• Modelling the acquisition of syntax and/or vocabulary
• Foundations of computational modelling
• Use of artificial-intelligence techniques for semi-automatically developing scientific theories

Recent Research Funding

European Research Council (2019-2024). Genetically Evolving Models in Science (GEMS) (ERC Advanced Grant). (£1.8 mio).
Economic and Social Research Council (2019-2024). The International Centre for Language and Communicative Development 2 (LuCiD2; Transition grant). With Julian Pine and others (£2.32mio).
Economic and Social Research Council (2014-2019). The International Centre for Language and Communicative Development (LuCiD). With Elena Lieven and others (£9mio)Economic and Social Research Council (2013-2014). Automatic generation of scientific theories. With Mark Addis and Peter Lane (£300,000).

Economic and Social Research Council (2012-2015). Developing a psychologically realistic generalisation mechanism within MOSAIC. With Julian Pine and Daniel Freudenthal. (£397,867).

Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2012). Risk, trust and relationships in an ageing society. With Mary Gilhooly and others (£27,5100).

British Academy (2010-2012). Cognitive models of problem gambling: Testing the implicit-learning hypothesis. (£83,447)

Curriculum Vitae

Degrees

MA in Psychology, 1986 University of Fribourg, Switzerland. Thesis : "Influence of uncontrollability on chess problem solving" (in French)

Ph. D. in Psychology, 1992 University of Fribourg, Switzerland. Thesis : "The memories of a chessplayer" (in French)

Appointments held

2019-present. Professorial Research Fellow, Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science, London School of Economics and Political Science

2013-2019. Professor of Cognitive Psychology, Psychological Sciences, University of Liverpool.

2012-2019. Research Associate, Centre for Philosophy of Natural & Social Science, London School of Economics

2003-2012. Professor of Cognitive Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Brunel University.

2000-2003. Allan Standen Reader in Intelligent Systems, ESRC Centre for Research in Development, Instruction and Training, School of Psychology, University of Nottingham.

1998-2000. Senior Research Fellow / Lecturer, ESRC Centre for Research in Development, Instruction and Training, Department of Psychology, University of Nottingham.

1996-98. Research Fellow / Lecturer, ESRC Centre for Research in Development, Instruction and Training, Department of Psychology, University of Nottingham.

1992-95. Post-doctoral fellow, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA.

1990-91. Visiting Researcher, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA.

1987-89. Research assistant, Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg (Switz.)

1981-89. Co-editor of the Swiss Chess Review.

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Research interests

My research spans cognitive science, organisational behaviour, cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, artificial intelligence, education, and philosophy.

I'm trying to understand the mechanisms underlying the acquisition of expertise, with a special focus on learning, memory, perception and attention processes in skilled individuals. An important focus concerns the abilities allowing individuals to successfully transition through career stages.

My research on understanding expertise has also led me to study teaching and training methods in education.

I'm also interested in the development of algorithms that automatically generate theories in science. My research also involves the development of the CHREST (Chunks Hierarchies and REtrieval STructures) architecture. CHREST has been applied to chess expertise, concept formation, the acquisition of multiple diagrammatic representations, and the acquisition of syntax and of vocabulary. I’m also interested in the methodology of developing computational models.

Other research includes the cognitive science of religion, problem gambling and scientific discovery.

My research uses experimental investigations, computer simulations, and theoretical investigations.

Publications on career transitions

Publications on expertise and decision making

Publications on education, coaching and training

Publications on (deliberate) practice and talent

Publications on the methodology of modelling

Publications on CHREST

Publications on computational scientific discovery

Publications on syntactic development

Publications on vocabulary development

Publications on the cognitive science of religion

Publications on problem gambling

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Last modified: 15/04/2024