Research Vision
My academic research explores how the experience of the world around us affects our brains and bodies, and ultimately society; it is carried out in both real and immersive urban environments while using wearables (mobile neuroimaging, eye-tracking) and subjective assessments to measure psychological and physiological responses in different settings in the city. Using machine learning methods developed in lab and in collaboration with colleagues at TU Berlin and machine learning experts at Oxford, I also explore the dynamic relationships between urban density factors and quantifiable stress levels. This research offers the potential for an urban design optimized for well-being and the possibility of forecasting planning practices that ensure community wellbeing, through predictive modelling. It’s an aspiration, at the least.
Research Focus
In addition to measuring urban stress, I have a keen interest in understanding the environmental component involved in the cause of mental illness. Bipolar Disorder (BP), for instance, is a highly heritable illness (80%) that involves the complex interplay between a number of genes that interact with the environment (20%) to manifest in a collection of symptoms that result in a psychiatric diagnosis.
Understanding urban stress at a fundamental level, on a neurological basis, contributes to an enhanced conceptualization of the Diathesis-Stress Model, which suggests that mental illness is in part due to the overwhelm of stress beyond a person’s capacity to manage it, which, very simply put, acts like an “on” switch. Emerging research suggests that stressful environments themselves can be implicated in methylation (activation) of genes involved in BP. An associated risk factor for BP is stressful childhood experiences. Therefore, uninformed urban design that prioritizes cars over people can possibly be implicated in both the development of the illness and the triggering of the first episode in later life when stress exceeded the capacity to cope with it. Being able to measure stress as a function of the urban environment will serve in informing policies and practices that not only has the potential to minimize mental illness but also, optimistically, optimize for universal wellbeing.
I do my work through the lens of equity, and accordingly wrote a theory chapter on a concept I call Experiential Equity, which applies an intersectional lens to environmental neuroscience; it is a concept and research framework that appreciates the complexity of the human experience, particularly experiences of marginalization that vary considerably based on who you are, what you look like, where you live and where you love. It is an attempt to use neuroscience to capture the consequences of systemic oppression in a bid to appeal to city builders to consider how design can enforce it.
Ultimately, I do my research with the intention for it to be of benefit to society, therefore I actively collaborate with practicing urban planners, architects, and academic researchers in the domain of neurourbanism.
That said, it is important to consider the unique experiences different people have of the world based on how they present in society. Experiential Equity
You can find my publications at the bottom of this page. Please get in touch if you have any questions.
Publications
Mazumder, R. (2023) Experiential Equity: Environmental Neuroscience Through an Intersectional Lens. In Kuhn, S. (Ed) Environmental Neuroscience 1st Edition, New York: Springer Nature (in preparation)
Mazumder, R. & Ellard, C.G. (2023). The Downside of Building Up: An Exploration Into the Physiological and Psychological Impacts of Virtual Reality Exposure to High-Rise Buildings. In press by Journal of Architectural and Planning Research.
Robles, D., Kuziek, J. W., Lai, J., Mazumder, R., Scanlon, J. E., & Mathewson, K. E. (2022). Surrounding Traffic Matters: Increases in Traffic Volume Are Related to Changes in EEG Rhythms in Urban Cyclists. bioRxiv, 2022-05.
Borkenhagen, D., Grant, E., Mazumder, R., Negami, H., Srikantharajah, J., & Ellard, C. (2021). The effect of COVID-19 on parks and greenspace use during the first three months of the pandemic–a survey study. Cities & Health, 1-10. (shared first authorship)
Mazumder, R. (2021) Experiential Equity: An Environmental Neuroscientific Lens for Disparities. In Urban Stress in Doucet, B., van Melik, R. and Filion, P (EDs) Global Reflections on COVID-19 and Urban Inequalities: Volume 1: Community and Society. Bristol: Policy Press. (textbook chapter)
Francey, A., Grant, E., Negami, H., Mazumder, R. & Ellard, C.G (2020). Challenges of Biometric Data Collection and Analysis in Urban Psychology: Towards a Comprehensive Methodological Framework. In Urban Experience and Design Contemporary Perspectives on Improving the Public Realm. Boston: Routledge Books. (Conference chapter)
Mazumder, R., Spiers, H., & Ellard, C.G. (2020). Exposure to High-Rise Buildings Negatively Influences Affect: Evidence from Real World and Immersive Virtual 360-degree Settings. Cities & Health.
Negami, H. R., Mazumder, R., Reardon, M., & Ellard, C. G. (2019). Field analysis of psychological effects of urban design: a case study in Vancouver. Cities & Health, 1-10.
Ryan, M., Rigby, P., Hardy, J, Linkewich B., & Mazumder, R. (2016). Occupational Therapy and Advocacy: Perspectives from University of Toronto Alumni. Occupational Therapy Now.
Mazumder, R., Duebel, E., Hoselton, E., & Anand, H.(2016). CAOT Professional Issue Forum: Poverty and homelessness. Occupational Therapy Now. 18(4): 9-11
Mazumder., R.(2016). Examining recovery-oriented practice from the perspective of the environment. Occupational Therapy Now. 18.5(5): 6-7.
Robin Mazumder 