About Research People

People

Principal Investigator

A white woman lounges on a brown couch, resting her head on one hand. She looks into the distance,
smiling to herself. She has blue eyes and long silver hair, and wears a short-sleeved beige top
with black pants.

Rachel Pembroke

Rachel Pembroke (she/her) holds the Miao Distinguished Professorship in Neuroscience at the University of Oxford. Her academic career began with an interest in metaphysics and parapsychology. After an undergraduate degree in neuroscience, she ended up completing both her Doctorate of Philosophy in psychology at Cambridge University and her Doctorate of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Her research focuses on understanding mechanisms of choice behavior and cognitive resonance. Her approach is singularly interdisciplinary, seeking a more complete understanding of neurological processes through conjunctive research in other fields, with particular interest in fungi mycelium networks, quantum states of atomic nuclei, and metaphysical interpretations of multiverse theory.

External Collaborator

A man crosses his arms and faces the camera directly. He is smiling. He has dark skin, brown eyes,
short curly black hair, and a grey beard. He wears a pair of light grey glasses and a brown
suit with a blue tie. A blurry figure passes in the background to his left.

Kevin Wilkins

Kevin Wilkins (he/him) is a professor of astrophysics at the University of Oxford and the Director for Accelerators and Technology at CERN. He gained his undergraduate degree in physics from the University of Edinburgh, followed by a Master’s in literature, specializing in science fiction, from Cambridge University. He completed his DPhil in astrophysics in 2014 at the University of Oxford, where he has since remained as a professor.

His research aims to resolve fundemental questions at the intersection of particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology. He is interested in loop quantum cosmology and in formal aspects of string theory and quantum gravity. Recent work has focused on the cosmological signatures of axion-like particles and resulting implications for the many-worlds interpretation.

Research Assistant

A woman looks at the camera with a close-mouthed smile. She has long black hair and brown eyes, and wears
a red and grey plaid shirt layered over a plain white shirt.

Seonjae Kim

Seonjae Kim (she/her) is a DPhil candidate at the University of Oxford. She received her undergraduate degree in neuroscience from Stanford University, with a minor in Korean history and culture inspired by a year abroad at Seoul National University. Seonjae completed her Master’s of Science in neuroscience from the University of Oxford in 2022.

Her research interests include bilingualism and the application of psychology and neuroscience within the fields of public health and medical ethics. Recent publications include Pandemic Psychology: Korea’s Public Health Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Administrative Manager

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and wears a plain black shirt and hoop earrings

Deborah Cross-Winkley

Deborah Cross-Winkley (she/her) has been working in academic administration for over 20 years, and currently manages patient intake, scheduling, and correspondence for Pembroke Lab.

In her spare time, she likes reading romantasy novels and crocheting blankets and beds for her two cats, Willow and Peony.