Theodoros Karapanagiotidis

Theodoros Karapanagiotidis

Assistant Professor

University of Sussex

Biography

I am an Assistant Professor at the School of Psychology, University of Sussex. My research investigates how large-scale brain dynamics support ongoing thoughts, with a focus on functional brain hierarchy, neural information flow, attractor states, and trait–state interactions. I am particularly interested in how these mechanisms relate to everyday experience, learning, and dispositional traits, as well as their relevance for mental health.

My lab combines multimodal neuroimaging (structural, functional, diffusion MRI, E/MEG) with behavioural testing and computational modelling. We use both static and dynamic analysis approaches, including machine learning methods, to characterise how patterns of brain activity unfold over time and shape conscious experience.

Originally from Veria, Greece, I studied physics at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki before moving to the UK to pursue an MSc in cognitive neuroscience at the University of York. I subsequently worked as a research assistant in Prof. Jonathan Smallwood’s lab before being awarded a studentship for a PhD under the joint supervision of Prof. Smallwood and Prof. Elizabeth Jefferies. During my PhD, I also contributed to a pilot neuroimaging study on immersive experiences led by Prof. Alex Wade. I then held two postdoctoral positions: one in Prof. Smallwood’s lab, and a second within a collaborative neuroimaging project funded by the York–Maastricht Partnership, working with colleagues at YNiC and M-BIC.

At Sussex, I lead a research lab working with brilliant placement students, PhD, and early career researchers (ECRs), aiming to advance theoretical and empirical models of brain–behaviour relationships, particularly in relation to the stability and flexibility of dynamic cognitive states across time and context. I also supervise undergraduate, MSc, and PhD projects, and convene and teach modules in programming and cognitive neuroscience at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Interests
  • Ongoing Experience
  • Brain Connectivity
  • Functional Hierarchy and Information Flow
  • Neural Dynamics
  • Neural and Behavioural Attractor States
  • Trait-State Interactions
Education
  • PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, 2019

    University of York, UK

  • MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience, 2014

    University of York, UK

  • BSc in Physics

    Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Experience

 
 
 
 
 
Assistant Professor
School of Psychology
2022 – Present University of Sussex, UK
  • Investigating and teaching about the functional hierarchy of the human brain, information flow, neural trait-state interactions, as well as their associations with behaviour and ongoing experience.
 
 
 
 
 
Research associate
York Maastricht Partnership
2020 – 2022 University of York, UK, Maastricht University, Netherlands
  • Working on a collaborative neuroimaging project funded by the York Maastricht Partnership
 
 
 
 
 
Research associate
Prof. Jonathan Smallwood’s lab
2019 – 2020 University of York, UK
  • Working on the ERC funded project titled “Not all minds that wander are lost: A neurocognitive test of mind-wandering state’s contribution to human cognition”
 
 
 
 
 
Research assistant
Prof. Alex Wade’s lab
2016 – 2017 University of York, UK
  • Coordinating & running fMRI & MEG experiments on experiencing virtual/augmented reality
  • Developing 3D tasks using the Unity game engine
  • Analysing acquired fMRI data
  • Contributing to NeuroImaging Analysis Framework (NAF) codebase & documentation
 
 
 
 
 
Research assistant
Prof. Jonathan Smallwood’s lab
2014 – 2015 University of York, UK
  • Coordinating & running neuroimaging studies at full length, on the neural correlates of spontaneous thoughts:
    • designing an experiment
    • setting up scanning protocols
    • coding behavioural tasks (PsychoPy)
    • recruiting participants
    • acquiring & analysing behavioural & neuroimaging data (fMRI, DWI, MEG)
    • preparing manuscripts for publication
    • presenting results at science meetings
  • Developing data analysis pipelines in Python
 
 
 
 
 
Research collaborator
York Neuroimaging Centre, UK
2014 – 2015 University of York, UK
  • Analysing fMRI & MEG neuroimaging data from a clinical study on epilepsy
 
 
 
 
 
Physics tutor
2007 – 2013 Thessaloniki, Greece

Recent Publications

All Publications

(2025). The default mode network and the complex dynamics of ongoing experience: an attractor-state perspective. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences.

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(2025). Understanding the captivating power of online scarcity messages: An eye-tracking study. International Journal of Hospitality Management.

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(2025). Unsupervised identification of internal perceptual states influencing psychomotor performance. NeuroImage.

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(2025). Self-reports map the landscape of task states derived from brain imaging. Communications Psychology.

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(2025). Memory control deficits in the sleep-deprived human brain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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(2024). Mapping patterns of thought onto brain activity during movie-watching. eLife.

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(2023). Experience sampling reveals the role that covert goal states play in task-relevant behavior. Scientific reports.

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(2022). Physical distance to sensory-motor landmarks predicts language function. Cerebral Cortex.

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(2022). Individual differences in gradients of intrinsic connectivity within the semantic network relate to distinct aspects of semantic cognition. Cortex.

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(2021). Exploring patterns of ongoing thought under naturalistic and conventional task-based conditions. Consciousness and cognition.

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(2021). The neural correlates of ongoing conscious thought. iScience.

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(2021). Interactions between the neural correlates of dispositional internally directed thought and visual imagery. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

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(2020). The psychological correlates of distinct neural states occurring during wakeful rest. Scientific reports.

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(2020). Missing the forest because of the trees: Slower alternations during binocular rivalry are associated with lower levels of visual detail during ongoing thought. Neuroscience of Consciousness.

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(2020). Reductions in task positive neural systems occur with the passage of time and are associated with changes in ongoing thought. Scientific reports.

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