Magic Institute · Est. 1998 · Ottawa

The science of mind
and behaviour.

An independent research institute dedicated to understanding how people perceive, decide, remember, and relate — and what that means for the world we build together.

Our mission

We study the human mind as it actually works — noisy, social, and embodied — across neuroscience, cognition, and behaviour. Our findings are open, our methods are rigorous, and our purpose is to make the science of being human useful.

14
resident researchers & fellows
4
peer-reviewed publications
$11.4M
in active research grants
19
countries of origin on the team
What we investigate

Seven questions we keep returning to.

Our work spans the brain, the mind, and the social world — but it always comes back to a few enduring questions about how people think and act.

Recent work

Selected publications.

The people

Scholars who'd rather be wrong than vague.

A small, international community of researchers and fellows who share data, argue hard, and publish in the open.

What's on

Open seminars, symposiums & visiting lectures.

Jun
18

The Predictive Brain: Annual Institute Lecture

◷ 4:00 PM◉ Founders Hall & livestreamProf. Karl Friston (UCL)
Register →
Jul
09

Symposium on Judgment Under Uncertainty

◷ Full day◉ Magic Institute12 speakers
Details →