Megan Shipman

Megan Shipman, PhD 

Dr. Megan Shipman is a behavioural neuroscientist turned complex-systems researcher. She currently works at the Cascade Institute on the Polycrisis Team, where she investigates how the interactions of global systems cause cascading crises. She recently co-authored Cascade Institute research papers including the Polycrisis Research and Action Roadmap, Positive Pathways Report, and an Introduction to Polycrisis Analysis. She is also working to integrate her expertise with more in-depth global health systems knowledge and to develop a specific project on “Polycrisis and the Brain.” 

Megan is leading the Polycrisis Team’s development of a comprehensive cross-impact balance (CIB) matrix to model the complexity and connections inherent in global systems. CIB is an underexploited technique that integrates both quantitative and qualitative data to analyze the strength of all possible interactions (both cause and effect) of each system state with one another. The algorithm determines consistent scenarios that provide information about self-reinforcing system states, possible futures, and necessary tradeoffs.  

Megan earned her PhD in neuroscience from the University of Vermont, where she researched the neural correlates of associative learning and behaviour, specifically examining the roles of sub-regions of the rodent prefrontal cortex in the transition from goal-directed control to habit formation. This dissertation work and adjacent collaborations yielded seven peer-reviewed publications.

Megan worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto for approximately four years where she researched the impacts of diet and inflammation on striatal neurotransmitters involved in goal-directed control and habit development.

Outside of the lab, Megan stays busy reading, playing soccer, enjoying the outdoors, spending time with her dog, brewing beer, and baking sourdough.