Hakwan Lau.

Hakwan Lau

Professor of biomedical engineering
Sungkyunkwan University

Hakwan Lau is co-director of the Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research and professor of biomedical engineering at Sungkyunkwan University. He is supported by the Institute for Basic Science in Korea. Previously he worked at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science; the University of California, Los Angeles; Columbia University and University College London. He obtained his D.Phil. in 2005 from Oxford University, and his undergraduate degree in 2001 from the University of Hong Kong, where he studied philosophy and cognitive science. He is the author of “In Consciousness We Trust,” an open-access academic monograph.

Explore more from The Transmitter

Illustration of needle sewing through multicolor strips.

How to use artificial intelligence to strengthen scientific processes and scholarly output

As AI-driven systems are integrated into all aspects of science, we need to make sure that they read and write to a shared data and knowledge space.

By Satrajit Ghosh
6 July 2026 | 5 min read
Research image of mitochondrial activity in the mouse amygdala and hippocampus.

The fast-expanding repertoire of mitochondria in the brain

More than cellular powerhouses, these organelles also seem to help synapses communicate, support memory formation and even shape behavior.

By Giorgia Guglielmi
3 July 2026 | 7 min read
Two fingers turning a small dial.

When autistic kids grow up, Chapter 5: The war dial

“You have to reshape the whole system.” Tempest McDonald earns a measure of peace.

By Brady Huggett
2 July 2026 | 42 min listen