Lev Tankelevitch

Hello, my name is Lev.

I’m a behavioural scientist with an academic background in cognitive psychology and neuroscience, exploring ways to understand and improve collaboration. My current work is focused on augmenting human agency, for example, by using Generative AI systems to help people think clearly and act more intentionally. I work in the Collaborative Intelligence theme at Microsoft Research in Cambridge UK.

Previously, I worked as a Research Advisor at the Behavioural Insights Team, where I specialised in the design, implementation, and analysis of rapid online experiments, field experiments, and quasi-experiments across health, social care, and education. For example, I worked on a successful national-scale field RCT testing invitation messages to increase COVID-19 vaccinations in a cohort of ~2.3 million people.

I completed my PhD in neuroscience at the University of Oxford, where I researched the interaction between reinforcement learning and attention using behavioural experiments, brain imaging, and modelling. Throughout my PhD, I explored ways to engage non-scientists via public events, film, and interactive visualisations. I've also worked on policy research projects about sleep health and the application of AI in healthcare.

I am most excited by the intersection of behavioural science, technology, design, and social innovation.

Use the list below to explore my past projects. Email me at lev.tankelevitch@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Collaboration research and HCI

Nowak, K., Tankelevitch, L., Tang, J., & Rintel, S. (2023). Hear We Are: Spatial Audio Benefits Perceptions of Turn-Taking and Social Presence in Video Meetings. Proceedings of the 2nd Annual Meeting of the Symposium on Human-Computer Interaction for Work

Hyrkas, J., Wilson, A. D., Tang, J., Gamper, H., Sodoma, H., Tankelevitch, L., ... & Jones, B. (2023) Spatialized Audio and Hybrid Video Conferencing: Where Should Voices be Positioned for People in the Room and Remote Headset Users? Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Hosseinkashi, Y., Pool, J., Tankelevitch, L., Cutler, R., & Madan, C. (2023). Meeting effectiveness and inclusiveness: large-scale measurement, identification of key features, and prediction in real-world remote meetings. arXiv preprint

Behavioural science in health and education

RCT: Providing a behavioural informed reminder for COVID-19 vaccination

Research report (pp. 8-10)

Behavioural Insights Team, 2021

Changing Minds about Changing Behaviours: Obesity in Focus

Research report

Behavioural Insights Team, 2021

Speech Bubbles: Evaluation Report.

Research report

Behavioural Insights Team, 2021. Commissioned by the Education Endowment Foundation.

Note: other than above, most of my work in this area is under NDA.

Policy research

Sleep and Health

Public policy research briefings

Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, 2018

Advancing AI in the NHS

Policy report

Polygeia, 2018

Science communication

Just a Touch

Short film

2017, Best National/International Film at BSFF 2017

Defending science by opening up: Lessons from Understanding Animal Research

Article

Naturejobs, 2017

Oxfordshire Science Festival

Interactive event

Oxford Town Hall, 2016

Brain Power!

Interactive event

Natural History Museum, Museum of the History of Science, 2016

Anatomy of an Experiment

Photography

Phenotype Magazine, 2016

You're a designer — act like one

Article

Naturejobs, 2016

The 'black box' effect in science communication

Article

Naturejobs, 2016, Journalism Competition Winner

What does MEG measure?

Blog

Scitable, 2015

Neuroscience research

Pike, A. C., Atherton, K. E., Bauer, Y., Crittenden, B. M., van Ede, F., Hall-McMaster, S., ... & Noonan, M. P. (2022). 10 simple rules for a supportive lab environment. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.

Folloni, D., Fouragnan, E., Wittmann, M. K., Roumazeilles, L., Tankelevitch, L., Verhagen, L., ... & Rushworth, M. F. (2021). Ultrasound modulation of macaque prefrontal cortex selectively alters credit assignment–related activity and behavior. Science Advances.

Trudel, N., Scholl, J., Klein-Flügge, M. C., Fouragnan, E., Tankelevitch, L., Wittmann, M. K., & Rushworth, M. F. (2021). Polarity of uncertainty representation during exploration and exploitation in ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Nature Human Behaviour.

Tankelevitch, L., Spaak, E., Rushworth, M. F., & Stokes, M. G. (2020). Previously reward-associated stimuli capture spatial attention in the absence of changes in the corresponding sensory representations as measured with MEG. Journal of Neuroscience

Tankelevitch, L. (2019). The interaction between reward-driven learning and selective attention. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Oxford).

Fouragnan, E. F., Chau, B. K., Folloni, D., Kolling, N., Verhagen, L., Klein-Flügge, M., Tankelevitch, L., Papageorgiou, G.K., Aubry, J.F., Sallet, J. & Rushworth, M. F. (2019). The macaque anterior cingulate cortex translates counterfactual choice value into actual behavioral change. Nature Neuroscience.