How do humans learn, think, reason, remember and make sense of the world? The Alan Kanzer Center for Cognition and Reasoning at Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute is a new, dynamic interdisciplinary research initiative dedicated to understanding the biological basis of cognition. Launched in 2025, the Kanzer Center draws on the strengths of a range of Columbia University schools and departments, while building on the Zuckerman Institute’s foundation of leadership and scholarship in the field of neuroscience.

Cognition encompasses all aspects of intellectual functions and processes, including perception, attention, memory, language, learning, thinking, imagination, decision-making and problem solving. The Kanzer Center aims to promote dialogue and cooperation between researchers who study these subjects at all levels of analysis and across disciplines, including art, literature, music, philosophy, psychology, history and sociology.

An innovative research focal point for the Zuckerman Institute, the Kanzer Center is designed to support and provide resources and research infrastructure for faculty members, postdoctoral fellows and students across the university. The center utilizes functional neuroimaging as one of its core platforms and is committed to recruiting new faculty, educating students through partnership with the Cognitive Science undergraduate program, sharing science broadly to the public and advancing new technologies. Led by Daphna Shohamy, PhD, the center also complements and enhances the work of other initiatives connected to the Zuckerman Institute, including the Grossman Center for the Statistics of Mind, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for Precision Psychiatry & Mental Health and the Center for Theoretical Neuroscience.

The Kanzer Center for Cognition and Reasoning is made possible by a transformative donation from Alan Kanzer, a Columbia College alumnus, class of 1965, and member of the Zuckerman Institute’s Brain Trust. Kanzer’s commitment marks the culmination of many years of dedicated support for several important programs at the Zuckerman Institute that have positively impacted the lives of many and helped advance the mission of the institute, including the Alan Kanzer Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Artist-in-Residence, Writer-in-Residence and Innovation Scholar programs.

For general inquires or to learn about membership, please write to [email protected].