Season 2, Episode 1: A Framework For Building Better Research Questions w/ Dr. Megan Peters

In our first episode for Season Two, we're excited to be joined by Dr. Megan Peters, Associate Professor of Cognitive Sciences at UC Irvine and Fellow in the CIFAR Brain, Mind & Consciousness program. Dr. Peters leads the Cognitive and Neurocomputation Lab, where her work bridges neuroscience, psychology, computational modelling, AI, and philosophy.

We start this great conversation with Dr. Peters by discussing her August 2025 paper, “How to Develop Good Research Questions.” which was published by Nature Human Behaviour.

While research questions were introduced in season one, this episode goes deeper—unpacking how to transform an initial idea into a clear, testable, and meaningful research question. Dr. Peters outlines a practical four-step framework, highlights common pitfalls, and shows how emerging tools—including AI—can support the refinement of strong scientific questions.

This conversation explores how scholars across disciplines can move from curiosity to rigour, using structured thinking to design exciting and impactful research projects. Whether you’re designing your first study, mentoring graduate students, or revisiting the fundamentals of your own research practice, this episode offers a powerful framework to guide your scientific journey.

Stay curious, we're glad to welcome you to season two.

Papers & Resources That We Touched On In This Episode

How To Develop and Refine A Research Question: http://alturl.com/xxzb7
Dr Peters Website: http://alturl.com/aznoc
Neuromatch: Facilitating Global Collaboration in Computational Sciences: http://alturl.com/jbf58
What is Meta Cognition?: http://alturl.com/c5w78
CIFAR: The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research: http://alturl.com/3v6wb
The Brain Mind and Consciousness Cluster at CIFAR: http://alturl.com/9ccnt
Dr Daniel Dennett: American Philosopher and Cognitive Scientist: http://alturl.com/q3ffr
Dr Dennett's Memoir: I've Been Thinking: http://alturl.com/3uzwh

A Couple of Great Organizational & Review Tools Recommended By Dr. Peters

ResearchRabbit: AI Tool for Smarter, Faster Literature Reviews: http://alturl.com/xcw5j
Obsidian: Sharpen Your Thinking: http://alturl.com/gvmur

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