Professor Thomas Suddendorf
Professor

Thomas Suddendorf

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 58341

Background

Thomas grew up in Germany and joined UQ in 1999 following postgraduate studies in New Zealand. He investigates the mental capacities in young children and in animals to answer fundamental questions about the nature and evolution of the human mind. His research has attracted several awards (incl. from the Australian Academy of Social Sciences, the Australian Psychological Society and the American Psychological Association) and his critically acclaimed books The Gap (e.g. see reviews in Nature, Science or the Wall Street Journal) and The Invention of Tomorrow (A Nature Book Reviews Best Science Pick) have been translated into several languages.

Availability

Professor Thomas Suddendorf is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Cognitive and computational psychology Psychology

Qualifications

  • Masters (Coursework), University of Waikato
  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Auckland

Research impacts

In the news

BBC Radio 4 - All in the Mind, Time travelling in the human mind

BBC Future about the intelligence gap

Reddit Ask Me Anything 2016

Zeitzeichen Article in German

Global Leadership Series Presentation

BBC Earth Many animals seem to kill themselves, but is it suicide?

Coverage of 2016 Current Biology paper on neonatal imitation covered by media such as Science Daily, NPR, ABC online, The Daily Mail, & The Conversation

Q & A with Thomas Suddendorf in Current Biology 2015

Radio and TV Featured frequently in media in the US, UK, Germany, and Australia, incl. radio (e.g., RN's Ockham's razor), TV (e.g., ABC what makes us human) and internet (e.g. TEDx talk)

Book reviews of THE GAP have appeared in e.g. Nature, The Wall Street Journal, Science, Scientific American Mind, The Times, Kirkus Reviews, Journal of the History of Biology, Australian Book Review, Times Higher Education & New Scientist.

Extracts: CNN, The Chronicles of Higher Education, HuffPo , Psychology Today, and Slate

Search Professor Thomas Suddendorf’s works on UQ eSpace

197 works between 1994 and 2026
All (197) Book (4) Journal Article (148) Other Outputs (13) Conference Publication (12) Book Chapter (20)

101 - 120 of 197 works

2014

Other Outputs

What makes us human?

Suddendorf, Thomas (2014, 02 08). What makes us human? The Huffington Post

What makes us human?

2014

Journal Article

Response to Gallup et al.: are rich interpretations of visual self-recognition a bit too rich?

Suddendorf, Thomas and Butler, David L. (2014). Response to Gallup et al.: are rich interpretations of visual self-recognition a bit too rich?. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 18 (2), 58-59. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2013.11.004

Response to Gallup et al.: are rich interpretations of visual self-recognition a bit too rich?

2014

Book

Der Unterschied: Was den Mensch zum Menschen macht

Suddendorf, Thomas, Steckhan, Barbara, Jendricke, Bernhard and Gockle, Gabriele (2014). Der Unterschied: Was den Mensch zum Menschen macht. Berlin, Germany: Berlin Verlag.

Der Unterschied: Was den Mensch zum Menschen macht

2014

Journal Article

The future is here: a review of foresight systems in anxiety and depression

Miloyan, Beyon, Pachana, Nancy A. and Suddendorf, Thomas (2014). The future is here: a review of foresight systems in anxiety and depression. Cognition and Emotion, 28 (5), 795-810. doi: 10.1080/02699931.2013.863179

The future is here: a review of foresight systems in anxiety and depression

2013

Journal Article

Proximate and ultimate perspectives on memory

Suddendorf, Thomas and Henry, Julie (2013). Proximate and ultimate perspectives on memory. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 2 (4), 246-247. doi: 10.1016/j.jarmac.2013.10.005

Proximate and ultimate perspectives on memory

2013

Other Outputs

Are we really different from other animals?

Suddendorf, Thomas (2013, 11 21). Are we really different from other animals? CNN online

Are we really different from other animals?

2013

Other Outputs

"Hello, baby. Check me out": Animals speak but don't say much

Suddendorf, Thomas (2013, 11 10). "Hello, baby. Check me out": Animals speak but don't say much Salon

"Hello, baby. Check me out": Animals speak but don't say much

2013

Other Outputs

Where are humans' closest relatives

Suddendorf, Thomas (2013, 10 21). Where are humans' closest relatives The Chronicle of Higher Education

Where are humans' closest relatives

2013

Journal Article

Different neural processes accompany self-recognition in photographs across the lifespan: an ERP study using dizygotic twins

Butler, David L., Mattingley, Jason B., Cunnington, Ross and Suddendorf, Thomas (2013). Different neural processes accompany self-recognition in photographs across the lifespan: an ERP study using dizygotic twins. PLoS ONE, 8 (9) e72586, e72586.1-e72586.9. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0072586

Different neural processes accompany self-recognition in photographs across the lifespan: an ERP study using dizygotic twins

2013

Journal Article

Foresight beyond the very next event: four-year-olds can link past and deferred future episodes

Redshaw, Jonathan and Suddendorf, Thomas (2013). Foresight beyond the very next event: four-year-olds can link past and deferred future episodes. Frontiers in Psychology, 4 (404) Article 404, 1-6. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00404

Foresight beyond the very next event: four-year-olds can link past and deferred future episodes

2013

Journal Article

Mental time travel: continuities and discontinuities

Suddendorf, Thomas (2013). Mental time travel: continuities and discontinuities. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 17 (4), 151-152. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2013.01.011

Mental time travel: continuities and discontinuities

2013

Journal Article

The nature of visual self-recognition

Suddendorf, Thomas and Butler, David L. (2013). The nature of visual self-recognition. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 17 (3), 121-127. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2013.01.004

The nature of visual self-recognition

2013

Journal Article

Orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus and Pongo abelii) understand connectivity in the skewered grape tool task

Mulcahy, Nicholas J., Schubiger, Michele N. and Suddendorf, T. (2013). Orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus and Pongo abelii) understand connectivity in the skewered grape tool task. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 127 (1), 109-113. doi: 10.1037/a0028621

Orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus and Pongo abelii) understand connectivity in the skewered grape tool task

2013

Journal Article

Is newborn imitation developmentally homologous to later social-cognitive skills?

Suddendorf, Thomas, Oostenbroek, Janine, Nielsen, Mark and Slaughter, Virginia (2013). Is newborn imitation developmentally homologous to later social-cognitive skills?. Developmental Psychobiology, 55 (1), 52-58. doi: 10.1002/dev.21005

Is newborn imitation developmentally homologous to later social-cognitive skills?

2013

Journal Article

The development of mental scenario building and episodic foresight

Suddendorf, Thomas and Redshaw, Jonathan (2013). The development of mental scenario building and episodic foresight. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1296 (1), 135-153. doi: 10.1111/nyas.12189

The development of mental scenario building and episodic foresight

2013

Book Chapter

On the evolution of imagination and design

Suddendorf, Thomas and Dong, Andy (2013). On the evolution of imagination and design. Oxford handbook on the development of imagination. (pp. 453-467) edited by Marjorie Taylor. New York, NY, United States: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195395761.013.0029

On the evolution of imagination and design

2013

Journal Article

Why the confusion around neonatal imitation? A review

Oostenbroek, Janine, Slaughter, Virginia, Nielsen, Mark and Suddendorf, Thomas (2013). Why the confusion around neonatal imitation? A review. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 31 (4), 328-341. doi: 10.1080/02646838.2013.832180

Why the confusion around neonatal imitation? A review

2013

Book

The gap: the science of what separates us from other animals

Suddendorf, Thomas (2013). The gap: the science of what separates us from other animals. New York, NY, United States: Basic Books.

The gap: the science of what separates us from other animals

2013

Conference Publication

Is the human mirror system operational at birth?

Slaughter, Virginia, Oostenbroek, Janine, Suddendorf, Thomas and Nielsen, Mark (2013). Is the human mirror system operational at birth?. ACNS-2013 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference, Melbourne, Australia, 28 Nov - 1 Dec, 2013. Lausanne, Switzerland: Frontiers Research Foundation. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2013.212.00043

Is the human mirror system operational at birth?

2012

Journal Article

Inferential reasoning by exclusion in children (Homo Sapiens)

Hill, Andrew, Collier-Baker, Emma and Suddendorf, Thomas (2012). Inferential reasoning by exclusion in children (Homo Sapiens). Journal of Comparative Psychology, 126 (3), 243-254. doi: 10.1037/a0024449

Inferential reasoning by exclusion in children (Homo Sapiens)

Current funding

  • 2025 - 2028
    Mapping children's foresight capacities
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2025
    Gaining control of the future: The cognitive development of foresight
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2014 - 2016
    Episodic foresight and ageing
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2012
    Enhancing Realism in Psychological Research.
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2013
    Charting the prevalence, time course and social-cognitive correlates of neonatal imitation.
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2007 - 2009
    Thinking about the future: The nature and development of mental time travel
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2005 - 2007
    Evolution of Mind: The representational capacities of gibbons (H. syndactylus) and the common ancestor of humans and apes.
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2005
    NHMRC_Equipment Grant = Refurbishment and equipment for Early Cognitive Development Unit and Video equipment for cognitive testing of children, adolescents and adults
    NHMRC Equipment Grant
    Open grant
  • 2002 - 2004
    The nature of self-recognition: novel approaches to vexing questions
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 1999
    The development of concepts of self and time - investigations with digitized feedback
    UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
    Open grant

Availability

Professor Thomas Suddendorf is:
Available for supervision

Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Cognitive development of foresight and the capacity to prepare for disjunctive futures.

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Jonathan Redshaw

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Gaining control of the future: The Cognitive Development of Foresight

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Jonathan Redshaw

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The Impact of Intergroup Violence on the Evolution of Human Psychology

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Brendan Zietsch

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Mechanisms and functions of reasoning about possibilities

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Julie Henry, Dr Jonathan Redshaw

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Professor Thomas Suddendorf directly for media enquiries about:

  • Brain and cognition
  • Brain development
  • Brain evolution
  • Children and cognition
  • Cognition
  • Cognition - developmental perspectives
  • Development and cognition
  • Evolution and brain cognition
  • Human development and cognition
  • Psychology - cognition

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