Stefan Jansen

Stefan Jansen, PhD is Senior Researcher at the University of Rwanda. He is the Deputy Director of the Center for Mental Health in the College of Medicine and Health Sciences. He is also a writer and film producer.

At the University of Rwanda, Stefan researches in Global Mental Health, with a particular interest in translating successful local African practices and solutions into an academic framework. He also performs research in the area of Knowledge-Attitude-Behaviour Change through interventions in road safety, radio dramas and more. In addition, he is active as a neuroscientist, setting up the first fMRI neuroscience experiments to be conducted in Rwanda.

Stefan's first book 'The Growing Robot: The Possibility of Artificial Life' (in Dutch) is linked to his neuroscience work. It looks at how artificial genes can code for artificial brains to create an artificial evolution (https://www.acco.be/nl-be/items/9789033479441/De-groeiende-robot).

Stefan also acted as associate producer for 'Right Between your Ears', a documentary that explores how we come to our beliefs, how we turn these beliefs into certainties, and take them for the truth - through the eyes of people who believed the world would end and then discovered they were wrong (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2616524/?ref_=nm_flmg_prd_1).