Mariano Sigman
Mariano Sigman is an Argentine physicist and neuroscientist who helps organisations understand decision-making, learning, and communication through insights from cognitive science and neuroscience.
- Physicist trained at the University of Buenos Aires with a PhD in neuroscience from Rockefeller University and postdoctoral research at the Collège de France.
- Founder of the Integrative Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Buenos Aires and Principal Researcher at CONICET.
- Associate Professor at Universidad Torcuato Di Tella.
- Recipient of awards including the Pontifical Academy of Sciences’ Pius XI Medal, the Human Frontier Science Program Career Development Award, the IBM Scalable Data Analytics for a Smarter Planet Innovation Award, and the James S. McDonnell Foundation Scholar Award.
- Author of The Secret Life of the Mind and El poder de las palabras.
- Speaker at TED/TEDx events, including a joint talk with Dan Ariely, and contributor to international art–science exhibitions including the Venice Biennale.
Full Profile
Key speaking topics
- Decision-making and cognitive science
- Learning and education
- Human communication
- Consciousness research
- Neuroscience and behaviour
- Science communication
- Interdisciplinary innovation between science and the arts
Ideal for
- Senior leaders and executive teams
- HR and learning and development leaders
- Education and academic institutions
- Organisations exploring behavioural insight and communication strategy
Audience outcomes
- Clear understanding of how the brain supports decision-making and learning
- Insight into the science of communication and language
- Greater awareness of cognitive biases and behavioural patterns
- Practical perspectives on applying neuroscience to organisational and educational contexts
Why organisations work with Mariano Sigman
- Combines rigorous academic research with accessible explanation.
- Brings international academic and interdisciplinary credibility.
- Connects neuroscience with real-world challenges in leadership, learning, and communication.
- Delivers evidence-based insight relevant to strategy, culture, and performance.
Biography
Mariano Sigman is an internationally recognised neuroscientist whose work sits at the intersection of cognition, decision-making, learning, and communication. His research provides organisations with a scientific lens on how people think, choose, collaborate, and learn, which are core capabilities for leadership, strategy, and performance.
Trained in physics at the University of Buenos Aires and awarded a PhD in neuroscience from Rockefeller University, he went on to conduct postdoctoral research in cognitive science at the Collège de France. He is a Principal Researcher at Argentina’s National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) and founded the Integrative Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Buenos Aires, leading interdisciplinary research across science and society. He has also held an associate professorship at Universidad Torcuato Di Tella.
His scientific contributions have been recognised with awards including the Pontifical Academy of Sciences’ Pius XI Medal, the Human Frontier Science Program Career Development Award, the IBM Scalable Data Analytics for a Smarter Planet Innovation Award, and the James S. McDonnell Foundation Scholar Award. These distinctions reflect the depth and originality of his work in cognitive neuroscience.
Beyond academia, Mariano Sigman is an accomplished author and communicator of complex ideas. His books, including The Secret Life of the Mind and El poder de las palabras, translate cutting-edge neuroscience into accessible insight for broad audiences. He has delivered TED and TEDx talks, including a joint appearance with Dan Ariely, and contributes actively to public science communication.
His interdisciplinary approach extends into art and science collaborations, including participation in international exhibitions such as the Venice Biennale. This work reflects his broader commitment to exploring how perception, language, and decision-making shape human experience, offering insights that resonate strongly with leaders navigating complexity, technological change, and organisational transformation.
Talks
An exploration of how and why we make decisions as individuals and societies, and the cognitive biases, distortions, and errors that shape those choices.
Key takeaways:
- Insight into the hidden processes that influence everyday and strategic decisions
- Understanding of common biases and distortions that affect judgement
- Greater awareness of how decision-making defines individuals and organisations
An evidence-based examination of the brain’s lifelong capacity to change, and why adults retain a powerful ability to learn and transform under the right conditions.
Key takeaways:
- Understanding why adults often perceive learning as more difficult
- Insight into the science of neuroplasticity across the lifespan
- Practical perspectives on reversing limiting beliefs about change at individual and corporate levels
A scientific perspective on leadership as a blend of biology and social context, exploring common mechanisms in communication and the diversity of leadership styles.
Key takeaways:
- Understanding of the biological and social foundations of leadership
- Insight into the diversity of effective leadership styles
- Awareness of verbal, gestural, and prosodic mechanisms at the core of human communication
A critical and constructive exploration of creativity, examining how it can be understood, defined, and developed through the lens of neuroscience.
Key takeaways:
- Deeper understanding of the cognitive foundations of creativity
- Exploration of when and why creativity expresses itself most effectively
- Critical perspective on how creativity can be taught or developed
An analysis of how groups can best aggregate distributed knowledge, when to debate, when to rely on expertise, and how to avoid the biases that distort collective decisions.
Key takeaways:
- Understanding of how knowledge is distributed within groups
- Insight into when discussion improves decisions and when it does not
- Awareness of the principles that help organisations harness collective intelligence effectively
An examination of advances in decoding and interacting with the human brain, and the technological and ethical implications of being able to read and write neural information.
Key takeaways:
- Insight into emerging capabilities in brain decoding and interaction
- Understanding of the technological implications of these developments
- Awareness of the ethical questions raised by new frontiers in neuroscience
An exploration of how beliefs shape individual and organisational potential, and how identifying and dismantling limiting narratives can unlock change.
Key takeaways:
- Understanding how self-imposed narratives limit learning and performance
- Insight into the role of motivation in lifelong learning
- Practical perspective on breaking down perceived barriers within teams and organisations