Performance neuroscience for
the public good.
The Flow Research Collective is a research and development nonprofit studying the neurobiology of the states of consciousness that govern human performance, mental health and adaptive capacity. Our research takes three tracks: human performance, mental health and neurological disorders.
On the human performance side, we study flow, intuition, creativity, consciousness and decision-making under uncertainty.
On the mental health and neurological disorders side, flow and conditions like PTSD share overlapping neurobiological mechanisms. The same neural dynamics that produce peak performance collapse under traumatic stress.
Our research maps these dynamics across large-scale brain networks and neuromodulatory systems. We then translate these findings into protocols for anxiety, depression, addiction, PTSD, ALS and other neurological conditions in the populations that need them most: special operators, first responders, combat veterans and the general public.
Dr. Michael Mannino.
Dr. Mannino holds a PhD in neuroscience and a Master's in philosophy, with research focused on how cognition and conscious experience emerge from complex adaptive systems. His work applies computational modeling, nonlinear dynamics, and information-theoretic approaches to the neural mechanisms underlying attention, perception, consciousness, intuition, and flow states.
Dr. Mannino has published extensively on consciousness and embodied cognition, with ongoing research into learning, decision-making, creativity, and performance optimization.
As Chief Science Officer at FRC, Dr. Mannino leads the research initiatives translating performance neuroscience into rigorous, applied methodologies. He previously served as Director of the AI Center at Miami Dade College and Director of Programs at the University of Miami's Institute for Data Science and Computing. Earlier in his career, he worked at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, with undergraduate training in astrophysics.
The scientists shaping the
research.
Nº 01
A founder of the field of coordination dynamics. His work on metastability and the dynamics of the brain is the mathematical spine of our flow research.
Nº 02
Flow's leading empirical researcher. His network-neuroscience work grounds flow in large-scale brain network interactions.
Nº 03
Architect of the free energy principle. Our collaboration positions flow within active inference—giving the theory its computational foundation.
Nº 04
Computational social neuroscience. His work on brain-to-brain coupling extends flow research from individuals to teams.
Nº 05
Psychophysiology of performance. His lab provides the measurement apparatus for flow in movement and exercise contexts.
Selected publications.
Research
conversations.
Long-form conversations with the researchers shaping the neuroscience of flow, performance, and mental health.
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