Oryan
Zacks

Oryan Zacks is a PhD student in the Cohn Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas at Tel Aviv University under the supervision of Prof. Eva Jablonka.

Oryan researches cognition and consciousness from an evolutionary perspective, relating current philosophical questions to findings in neuroscience and animal behaviour studies.

The focus of her research is the evolution of imagination and its relationship to episodic memory. As part of her research, Oryan is currently comparing the brains of different animals, trying to build a more coherent picture of the relationship between an animal’s brain, behaviour, and subjective experience of the world. Through her research Oryan hopes to contribute to a better understanding of the human mind and the internal worlds of other animals. She also hopes that her findings will have implications for people with mental illness and influence the treatment of animals from an ethical perspective.

Oryan grew up in Omer, a small town near Be’er Sheva, and currently lives with her spouse in Jersusalem. She completed her BSc and MSc in the Sagol School of Neuroscience at Tel Aviv University. Inspired by her background as a dancer and acrobat, she devoted her masters to studying how imagination can affect human movement. At the same time she was a dancer and creator of Feedback – a live performance combining biofeedback, psychology, music, and dance – and taught movement, biology, and neuroscience. In her free time, Oryan enjoys wandering the streets of Jerusalem and discovering the beauty and diversity of this unique city.