Rajal Cohen

Rajal G. Cohen, Ph.D., M.AmSAT, is a Professor in the Department of Psychology & Communication at the University of Idaho. Dr. Cohen completed her Alexander Technique training in 1997 with Daria Okugawa. She received a B.A. from Wesleyan University and an M.S. and Ph.D. from Penn State University. Her graduate work focused on motor learning and on how cognitive limitations cause us to move less optimally than popular theories of motor control propose. She completed a four-year postdoctoral fellowship at Oregon Health & Science University, where she collaborated with leading experts in neurology, physical therapy, and brain imaging on projects related to balance, gait, inhibitory control, Parkinson’s disease, and the neural connections between brain areas associated with so-called “higher functions” and those associated with so-called “lower functions.” In 2012 she joined the University of Idaho and founded the Mind in Movement Laboratory, where she and her students explore the interconnectedness of thought, action, brain activity, and posture, both in healthy young adults and in the contexts of pain, aging, and Parkinson’s disease. Much of her scientific work directly or indirectly relates to Alexander Technique. Dr. Cohen teaches research methods and neurophysiology to undergraduates, and she teaches biomechanics and ergonomics at the graduate level. Since 2016, she is the Scientific Consultant for The Poise Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding innovative ways to bring Alexander Technique principles and tools to people who need it most.