IIT-Kanpur to set-up new Department of Cognitive Science The new department will study the working of the human mind and mechanisms in the brain involved in mental processes and interface. It will also develop new artificially intelligent and machine-learning interfaces, said IIT-Kanpur director. Updated: December 11, 2020 9:12:51 pm IIT-Kanpur campus (Source: official website) The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur will soon launch a new Department of Cognitive Science. IIT-Kanpur claims to be the first among the IITs to explore transdisciplinary scientific research of the human mind and brain. Areas of research that the new department will focus on include consciousness studies, perception and action, decision-making and reasoning, language processing, social cognition, applied cognitive sciences (HMI/HCI, Education, Mental health), and robotics.