Dragan Rangelov

I hold a degree in Psychology (equivalent to BSc Hons) from the University of Belgrade, Serbia, a MSc in Neuro-Cognitive Psychology, and a PhD in Systemic Neuroscience from Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Germany. My main research interests include the neural and cognitive mechanisms of perception, attention, memory, and decision-making in both health and disease. My work combines behavioral testing, brain imaging (EEG, MEG, MRI), and non-invasive neuromodulation (TMS, TCS, neurofeedback) to understand how the brain learns and adapts to environmental changes.

At Swinburne, I lead the Economic Brain Lab, focusing on the neural and cognitive mechanisms of risky choices. My collaborators and I explore how risky choices are influenced by other cognitive processes, particularly metacognition. Metacognition, or thinking about thinking, involves continuously evaluating our thoughts and actions and making course corrections when necessary. I am especially interested in training metacognition to improve behavior and enhance overall well-being.

I am also interested in how neurological and psychiatric diseases affect our thoughts and actions. Previously, I studied changes in decision-making following unilateral stroke to understand how the brain adapts to trauma. In the future, I plan to investigate risky choices and metacognition in populations characterized by risk avoidance, such as individuals with anxiety and depression, and compare them with populations exhibiting extreme risk-seeking behaviors, such as compulsive gamblers.