Mar Estarellas

Mar EstarellasMar EstarellasMar Estarellas
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Mar Estarellas

Mar EstarellasMar EstarellasMar Estarellas
  • Home
  • About me
  • RESEARCH
  • PROJECTS
  • WORKSHOPS
  • Art
  • CONTACT

"The distinction between the two cultures of science and humanities persists. Until that fundamental divide is closed or at least reconciled, in some congenial manner, the relation between man and the living world will remain problematic."


Biophilia, Edward O. Wilson

CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS

 

In my current postdoctoral position at McGill University, I study the interaction between brain, body, and natural rhythms through a transdisciplinary and neurophenomenological lens. In my previous postdoc at the University of Cambridge, I explored brain information profiles across wake–sleep states, with applications to neurodegenerative diseases. My current research bridges neuroscience, phenomenology, and ecology to understand how perception and synchronization with the environment shape the way we feel, sense, and relate to each other and ourselves. I am particularly interested in how practices like meditation, psychedelics, and immersion in nature modulate brain activity and foster a sense of connection to the world. I am committed to re-enchanting scientific research through storytelling, traditional ecological knowledge, and embodied engagement with the natural world.

Recent publications, talks and workshops

Articles

 

  • Potash, Ruby M.; van Mil, Sean D.; Estarellas, Mar; Canales-Johnson, Andrés; Sacchet, Matthew D.
    Integrated Phenomenology and Brain Connectivity Demonstrate Changes in Nonlinear Processing in Jhana Advanced Meditation.
    Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience (2025).
     
  • Lieberman, Jonathan; McConnell, Patrick; Estarellas, Mar; Sacchet, Matthew D.
    Neurophysiological Mechanisms of Focused Attention Meditation: A Scoping Systematic Review.
    Imaging Neuroscience (2025).


  •  Neri, Matteo; Brovelli, Andrea; Castro, Samy; ... Estarellas, Mar. A Taxonomy of Neuroscientific Strategies Based on Interaction Orders.European Journal of Neuroscience (2025).
     
  • Estarellas, Mar; Giovanucci, Tatiana A.; Steggals, Lucy.
    Navigating Uncertainty: A Tripartite Creative Knowledge Exchange Among Artists, Researchers, Carers and People with Lived Experience of Dementia.
    Journal of Arts & Communities (2025). In press.
     
  • Bellemare-Pepin, Antoine; Estarellas, Mar; Tsabary, Eldad.
    Melodies of the Forest: Nature as an Improvisational Space for Shared Creative Embodiment.
    People and Nature (2024). In press.
     
  • Bellemare-Pepin, Antoine; Thölke, Philipp; Harel, Yann; Estarellas, Mar; Jerbi, Karim.
    Introducing ReTiNA-Cinema: Real-Time Neuro-Augmented Cinema via Generative AI.
    Nature Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (2024). Under review.
     
  • Estarellas, Mar; et al.
    Multi-Modal Subtypes Identified in Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative Participants by Missing-Data-Enabled Subtype and Stage Inference.
    Brain Communication (2024).
     
  • Estarellas, Mar; Huntley, Jonathan; Bor, Daniel.
    Neural Markers of Reduced Arousal and Consciousness in Mild Cognitive Impairment.
    International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry (2024).

Conferences and Talks

 

  • Estarellas, Mar; van Mil, Sean; Potash, Ruby; Canales-Johnson, Andrés; Sacchet, Matthew D.
    Integrated Phenomenology and Brain Connectivity Demonstrate Changes in Nonlinear Processing in Jhana Advanced Meditation
    Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness (ASSC) 2025 Conference, Ligres, Crete; July 2025.
     
  • Chandia-Jorquera, Alejandro; van Mil, Sean D.; Estarellas, Mar; Pascovich, Claudia; Canales-Johnson, Andrés.
    Brain Functional Connectivity Demonstrates Changes in Nonlinear Processing in Long-term Practitioners of Transcendental Meditation
    ASSC 2025 Conference, Ligres, Crete; July 2025.
     
  • Signorelli, Camilo Miguel; Estarellas, Mar; Cea, Ignacio.
    Transdisciplinary Science for Consciousness Science, Design and Ongoing Examples in the Field
    ASSC 2025 Conference, Ligres, Crete; July 2025.
     
  • Estarellas, Mar; Keenan Down; Jonathan Huntley; Pedro Mediano; Daniel Bor.
    Information Profile of Arousal States Across Levels of Cognitive Decline
    Association for Scientific Studies of Consciousness, Tokyo, Japan; July 2024.
     
  • Estarellas, Mar & Antoine Bellemare.
    Latent Ecologies of the Mind: Exploring Harmonic Synchrony and Complexity in Human Brain Signals and Beyond
    Interdisciplinary College (IK), March 2024.
     
  • Estarellas, Mar; Keenan Down; Jonathan Huntley; Pedro Mediano; Daniel Bor.
    Exploring the Dynamics of Consciousness and Sleep Disturbances in Alzheimer’s Disease Through Integrated Information Decomposition
    CNS2024: Sleep, Consciousness & Cognition; April 2024.
     
  • Estarellas, Mar; Jonathan Huntley; Daniel Bor.
    Characterising Alzheimer’s Disease as a Disorder of Consciousness
    CNS 2023: Interdisciplinary Insights on the Future of Dementia Research; September 2023.
     
  • Estarellas, Mar; Jonathan Huntley; Daniel Bor.
    MEG Markers of Arousal and Consciousness in Early Alzheimer’s Disease
    Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness (ASSC); June 2023.
     
  • Invited Speaker:
    BoostUrCAreer Doctoriales 2023 Round Table
    Université Côte d’Azur, France; July 2023.
     
  • Levitis, Elizabeth; Casella, Chiara; Berry, Samuel*; Subramaniapillai, Sivanya*; Estarellas, Mar*; Kia, Seyed Mostafa; Marquand, Andre F.; Cole, James H.; Martin, Sophie*; Verdi, Serena*.**
    Mapping Patterns of Atrophy in Alzheimer’s Disease Using Non-Gaussian Neuroanatomical Normative Models
    Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM); July 2023.
    Authors contributed equally to this work as part of the Centre for Medical Image Computing (UCL) Hackathon.
     
  • Estarellas, Mar; Alex C. Young; Sarah E. Keuss; Daniel C. Alexander; Jonathan M. Schott.
    Alzheimer-like Biomarker Heterogeneity in a Preclinical Elderly Birth Cohort: Insight46
    Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC); July 2022, San Diego, CA.
     
  • Estarellas, Mar; Daniel C. Alexander; Jonathan M. Schott; Alex C. Young.
    Multimodal Modelling of the Heterogeneity of Alzheimer’s Disease
    Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC); July 2020, Amsterdam/online.
     
  • Estarellas, Mar; Raymundo Cassani; Tiago H. Falk.
    Assessment of EEG-based Biomarkers of Alzheimer’s Disease
    International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases and Related Neurological Disorders (ADPD); March 2017, Vienna.

Workshops

 

  • Co-organizer, Neurophenomenology Satellite Workshop at Gomde
    (1–3 August 2025, Rangjung Yeshe Gomde, Austria)
    2.5-day retreat to establish shared foundations, address methodological challenges, and seed collaborative projects and best-practice outputs in neurophenomenology.
     
  • Co-organizer, ASSC 2025 Satellite Retreat on Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness
    (10–14 July 2025, Vrachos Villa, Crete)
    Interdisciplinary workshop (neuroscience, VR, computational phenomenology, philosophy) focused on exploring non-ordinary states of consciousness.
     
  • Co-organizer, "Embracing Complexity: Principled and Practical Approaches to Emergence" Workshop
    (23–27 June 2025, IFISC, Palma de Mallorca, Spain)
    Workshop combining theoretical and hands-on sessions on emergence across biological, ecological, and computational systems.
     
  • Short Course Contributor, Interdisciplinary College
    (March 2024)
    Introduction to Complexity and Higher Order Metrics in Consciousness and Neuroscience Studies — part of the “Resilience, Robustness, Responsibility” curriculum.
     
  • SuStaIn Fest 2020
    Missing Data SuStaIn Tutorial (GitHub Repository)
    Tutorial contribution on managing missing data for SuStaIn models.

LINKS

papers, current collaborations and other beautiful things
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