Nicholas Fish
He/Him | Post-Baccalaureate Researcher
Nicholas started at LUCID in September 2023; July 2026 was his last month. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy with a minor in Neuroscience and is currently enrolled in a master’s program at Mount Sinai earning a degree in Biomedical Science.
What are your research interests?
I’m currently interested in outcomes-based clinical research in neurocritical and emergency care, with my research background consisting of psychophysics, EEG, TMS, visual consciousness, as well as physiological and EEG signal analysis post-cardiac arrest.
What drew you to LUCID?
I joined LUCID (then titled “Brain Institute”) in my junior year after hearing about Dr. Schurger’s work in my Philosophy of Mind course. My professor, Dr. Kelvin McQueen, was teaching about various theories of consciousness, including Integrated Information Theory (IIT). Dr. McQueen also brought up a prominent critique of IIT being the “unfolding argument” which Dr. Schurger is an author of. I met with Dr. Schurger shortly after to discuss his paper and became incredibly interested in how computer science and neuroscience can contribute to and improve the field of philosophy of mind, specifically on the topic of consciousness.
What’s your philosophy on AI?
I am a huge proponent of machine learning and the opportunities it has presented in improving research, specifically clinical research. Machine learning and neural networks as a modality have proven to be immensely beneficial to all kinds of research and computation. I am far more wary of generative AI and tend to believe it is net-negative when it comes to research and deeply harmful when it comes to any creative work. I remain open-minded to its usefulness in roles such as search optimization, and perhaps as an aid for computer programming. In my experience, however, any business, research, or personal projects which rely heavily on the use of generative AI—be it in text, creation of graphics, or even just in brainstorming—become less unique, less insightful, and frankly uninteresting. I find the field of AI intriguing and there are some interesting questions to be asked, but as a whole I find this AI wave we now find ourselves in hugely overvalued and overhyped. Not to mention the effect generative AI has on jobs en masse and the environment.
Can you describe a research study at LUCID that you have conducted or participated in?
The bulk of my work at LUCID was on the project “Triangulating Neural Correlates of Consciousness,” and within that project “Inattentional Blindness.” These projects stem from the line of thinking of Cristof Koch’s “Neural Correlates of Consciousness” paper, in which Koch posits that there must be a minimal set of neuronal events which are sufficient for a specific conscious experience. Essentially the idea is that it should be possible to isolate and identify specific brain signals which represent the process of consciousness in the brain. Thus far, the inattentional blindness experiment has yielded some potential NCC’s as well as one novel signal, and the Triangulation project (still in progress) is seeking to confirm the aforementioned signals across three paradigms and three institutions’ worth of data.
What’s something you’ve learned in your time at LUCID?
As far as hard skills go, LUCID taught me everything I know about tons of neuroscience hardware, including EEG machines, eye-tracking, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and more. Working here has also given me a great baseline in computer programming in MATLAB.
On the soft skills side of things, my mentors here have taught me loads about how important ethics are in science, how to write scientific papers, and how to collaborate effectively. One of the coolest things I got to experience in my time here was the Consciousness Conference held in Lake Arrowhead, where many scientists in the fields of neuroscience, philosophy, cognitive science, physics, and more met for three days to discuss and move the needle forward on various questions in the neuroscience of consciousness. It was truly eye-opening and inspiring to see so many disciplines coalesce in trying to investigate a scientific question.
Can you share a fun fact about your specific field of study?
The field of consciousness science is unique in that we have likely been wondering about and investigating the nature of our conscious experiences since we have had consciousness. It is, in a way, one of oldest questions in humanity, and we are living in a time where we have some of the best tools to answer questions that have been previously thought of as impossible to answer.
Can you share a fun fact about yourself?
I’ve been learning Persian (Farsi) for the last few months. It’s fun to try a new language that is so different from English.
So what's the plan after you get your master's?
My goal is to pursue my MD or DO degree. Ideally, clinical research will also be a part of my future career, as I really enjoy it.
