Pre-Conference Workshops

Organized by our Platinum Sponsor Cortivision

This intensive workshop offers a comprehensive introduction to Diffuse Optical Tomography (DOT), a high-density variant of functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) that provides enhanced spatial resolution for neuroergonomic research. Using the Cortivision Spectrum C23 system, participants will navigate the entire research pipeline: from custom cap design and ROI selection in CoriView software to advanced signal processing and image reconstruction in the CortiPrism environment. To ground these technical skills in real-world application, the workshop utilizes a practical case study focused on Cognitive-Motor Interference (CMI). Attendees will examine differences between the Default Mode Network (DMN) and Executive Control Network (ECN) during simultaneous mental calculation and treadmill walking. By the end of the session, researchers will be equipped to design and analyze mobile brain imaging studies that capture the interplay of specialized information-processing systems in ecologically valid environments.

The workshop is designed as a hands-on tutorial and demonstration that guides participants through the complete DOT-fNIRS research pipeline. The session balances theoretical lectures on Diffuse Optical Tomography principles with practical segments, including:

• Custom Cap Design: Demonstration of ROI selection and DOT array optode montage creation using CortiView 2 software.
• Live Demonstration: Real-time signal quality assessment, participant preparation (hair management and motion mitigation), and data acquisition using the Spectrum C23 system and CortiView 2.
• Practical Data Analysis: Participants will acquire expertise in signal processing, noise reduction, and image reconstruction on a participant and group level using CortiPrism software, utilizing the Cognitive-Motor Interference study data as a primary example.

A basic understanding of fNIRS research methodology is recommended. No prior software installation is required.

Organized by our Platinum Sponsor NIRx

This workshop introduces the theoretical foundations and practical considerations for conducting functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) research in real-world and mobile settings. Participants will gain an overview of how fNIRS can be applied to study brain activity during naturalistic tasks and interactive environments.

The session will include:

• demonstrations of mobile dual-task fNIRS recordings, 
• hyperscanning approaches for studying interacting participants
• integration of peripheral physiological measurements. 
• Attendees will also be introduced to multi-modal recording possibilities, including combined fNIRS and EEG systems and large-scale real-world hyperscanning setups.

A step-by-step data analysis tutorial using Satori software will guide participants through key elements of processing and interpreting fNIRS data. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience preparing and setting up fNIRS measurements, including optode placement and practical considerations for high-quality recordings.

The workshop will use a mixed format combining short presentations, live demonstrations, tutorials, Q&A discussions, and hands-on sessions.

Researchers new to fNIRS are warmly welcome. No prior experience with fNIRS or other physiological recording methods is required, and there are no software prerequisites.

Organized by Elahe Oveisi, Oklahoma State University, USA

As autonomous systems become more integrated into complex work environments, the ability to monitor the “hidden” states of the human partner is critical. This workshop explores the shift from retrospective, subjective assessments to real-time physiological monitoring in human-machine collaboration. We will explore individuals‚Äô and teams‚Äô cognitive and physiological states when interacting with intelligent agents, moving toward a “closed-loop” understanding of collaboration. The session welcomes participants from a wide range of backgrounds, spanning from established human information-processing frameworks to cutting-edge techniques for unobtrusive, task-continuous measurement. We will specifically discuss the application of EEG, eye-tracking, and other physiological metrics to quantify high-level constructs such as:

• Calibration of Trust: Identifying physiological markers of over-reliance or skepticism.
• Cognitive Load & Bottlenecks: Real-time detection of mental fatigue and “redline” workload.
• Shared Mental Models: Measuring physiological synchrony in team-based environments.

Using case studies from high-stakes domains like aviation, search and rescue, and tele-robotics, this workshop provides researchers with the insights needed to improve coordination, decision-making, and overall team resilience in AI-enabled environments.

The workshop is designed as a highly interactive “Think-Tank” session. It will follow a three-part structure:

1. State of the Science: Short, lightning-round presentations from the organizing team highlighting current work and methodological challenges in neurophysiological sensing for Human-Machine Teaming.

2. Breakout Synthesis: Guided small-group sessions where participants will be assigned a specific domain (e.g., autonomous driving or medical robotics) to map physiological metrics to specific HMT challenges.

3. Collaborative Roadmap: A concluding plenary discussion to synthesize group insights, identify “open science” challenges, and discuss the ethical implications of physiological monitoring in the workplace.

Intended Audience: This workshop is tailored for researchers, practitioners, and graduate students in Human Factors, Human-AI interaction (HAI), robotics, and Neuroergonomics. It is ideal for those looking to move beyond survey-based methods and integrate objective sensing into their experimental pipelines.

Organized by Candida Barreto Drexel University, Meredith Pecukonis Smith College and Hasan Ayaz Drexel university

This workshop will highlight practical lessons, common challenges and emerging best practices for using portable neuroimaging to study the developing brain in naturalistic, real-world settings. Through case studies using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and electroencephalography (EEG), speakers will demonstrate how mobile methods can capture neural responses during everyday activities including shared book reading, play, social interactions with humans and robots, and authentic teaching and learning contexts. By connecting neuroscience, wearable technology, and real-world behavior, the session will equip attendees with actionable insights for designing feasible studies, improving data quality, and translating pediatric neuroimaging beyond the lab into developmental, social, and educational neuroscience.

This lecture-based and panel discussion workshop is designed for a broad Neuroergonomics audience, including trainees, clinicians, and researchers interested in pediatric and developmental neuroimaging and the use of neurotechnology in applied contexts. No prior experience with EEG or fNIRS is required. Basic familiarity with neuroimaging concepts may be helpful, but the workshop will be accessible to newcomers while still offering practical takeaways for experienced users.

Organized by Andre Vernay, DGAC France

Pilots are teached on the sensory and somatogravic illusions but only in an academic way. Air Force pilots are trained in a simulator plus day course in France in order to feel the hazards and understand the consequences. Debating after a video show (provided by myself) of this specific training about the impact of feeling vs seeing could be of high interest at a stage where some accidents do not see their rate falling in aviation.

After an introduction and presentation on my side of a video of this specific training, welcoming experiences and other presentations or expertise from the room under a debate could be of high interest from my point of view. Some questions could then be raised and maybe debated under the cost/benefit balance between live training and standard e learning courses. Where is the margin between nice to know and need to know elements in aviation ? How does work our feeling memory ?

Organized by Alexander von Lühmann and Eike Middell (TU Berlin – BIFOLD), Meryem Yücel (Boston University)

Join us for a workshop on (Cedalion), a new Python-based toolbox designed for advanced multimodal fNIRS and DOT analysis that can be collaboratively expanded by the community. The workshop aims to familiarize researchers with Cedalion’s latest release that integrates and expands core features of HOMER3 and AtlasViewer’s processing and image reconstruction while tapping into the rich Python ecosystem of modern tools for data analysis and machine learning. At the end of the workshop, participants will have learned how to use Cedalion for state-of-the-art channel- and image space analysis, preprocessing, GLM, and image reconstruction and how to use these tools for single trial decoding in Neuroergonomics applications.

The workshop consists of a mix of slides-based presentation and hands on Jupyter notebook sessions. Cedalion can be run locally on each participant’s computer or on the cloud using Google Colab to execute and test (example tutorial notebooks). Participants are expected to have rudimentary knowledge in fNIRS and programming and ideally have experience with Python. To prepare for the workshop, we recommend reading the (Cedalion tutorial paper).

Organized by Adrian Curtin, Bartu Atabek, Hasan Ayaz. Drexel University

This hands-on tutorial introduces locally deployed large language models (LLMs) as practical building blocks for neuroergonomics studies, including adaptive experimental control and BCI-informed interaction loops. Running LLMs locally can strengthen experimental control, support data privacy, and reduce latency for real-time adaptation during human performance tasks. Participants will learn to set up and run local models using LM Studio, create structured prompts and safety guardrails for consistent behavior, and connect LLM capabilities to PsychoPy to implement adaptive task flow, dynamic instructions, and individualized feedback. We will then demonstrate a lightweight “agentic” neuroergonomics pipeline in which an LLM mediates between task context and a simple neural interface signal to trigger external actions (for example, a home-automation style control mock-up). Attendees will leave with runnable examples and design patterns for integrating cognitive neuroscience tooling with modern local AI infrastructure. No prior LLM experience is required; basic familiarity with Python is helpful.

Talk & tutorial with hands-on demonstration.
No prior experience with LLM’s is necessary, but some python familiarity will be useful.