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 I am an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Grinnell College, founder of the  ELBICA lab, the Cognitive Robustness Research Studio, and co-founder of the AI Aura.

  • My research investigates intelligent decision-making across scales, from independent reinforcement learners in multi-agent systems to human cognition in hybrid agentic ecosystems.

   Drawing on computer science, cognitive science, and philosophy, I study how intelligent agents learn, make decisions, and influence one another within larger systems. My work is strongly influenced by Antonio Damasio’s account of cognition, particularly the role of emotions and feelings in intelligent decision-making.

Triangular diagram connecting three initiatives through the central question, “How does intelligent decision-making emerge across different scales?” At the top, ELBICA Cognitively inspired computational approaches (Independent Learners, RL, MAS, Moral Reasoning). At the lower left, AI Aura Understand GenAI Systems’ Societal Impacts. At the lower right, the Cognitive Robustness Studio focuses on strengthening human cognitive agency and untraining predictability. Dashed lines connect the three initiatives.

For more info:

  1. ELBICA Research Laboratory: Computational research on independent learners, reinforcement learning, multi-agent systems, and cognitively inspired decision-making. (email: eliottfe@grinnell.edu).
  2. Cognitive Robustness Studio: strengthening Human Cognitive Agency and robustness through untraining predictability.
  3. AI Aura: interdisciplinary critical inquiry into the social and cultural consequences of generative AI.

      I completed my Postdoc training at Vanderbilt University. There, I was a Data Science Institute (DSI) postdoctoral fellow affiliated with the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. I was a member of the AIVAS lab (Artificial Intelligence and Visual Analogical Systems), the Vanderbilt Initiative in Data-intensive Astrophysics (VIDA), and the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation.

     I earned my Ph.D. and Master’s in Science (Artificial Intelligence) from the Aeronautics Institute of Technology (ITA, Brazil), AIRGroup (Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Group), and my Bachelor’s and Licentiate’s degrees in Philosophy (USP, University of São Paulo).

Research Interests:

  1. Cognitively Inspired Computational Approaches.
  2. Reinforcement Learning.
  3. Multi-Agent Systems.
  4. Moral Decision-making.
  5. Artificial Intelligence.

I am genuinely thankful to my mentors: Drs. Kunda, Stassun, Stroud, and Vanderbilt University’s Data Science Institute (DSI).

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