Ellis Cain is a postdoctoral fellow in computing at Kenyon College. His research uses interdisciplinary methodology to explore how individual development, such as lifespan learning or cognitive development, mutually interacts with group-level cultural evolution. He investigates how these interactions lead to either consistency or divergence in how different age groups in the current time period use and understand language.

Cain's work further examines how this relationship influences how different age groups communicate in conversations. He also studies the stability of semantic information in cultural transmission and the role of shared language in the preservation of narratives.

Prior to Kenyon, Cain completed his doctoral work in the Cognitive and Information Sciences Department at the University of California, Merced. 

Areas of Expertise

Cognitive science, natural language processing, aging, cultural evolution

Education

2026 — Doctor of Philosophy from University of California, Merced

2025 — Master of Science from University of California, Merced

2021 — Bachelor of Arts from Indiana University

2021 — Bachelor of Science from Indiana University

Courses Recently Taught

This course presents an introduction to computer programming intended both for those who plan to take further courses in which a strong background in computation is desirable and for those who are interested in learning basic programming principles. The course will expose the student to a variety of applications where an algorithmic approach is natural and will include both numerical and non-numerical computation. The principles of program structure and style will be emphasized. May be paired with COMP 218 or with any mathematics or statistics course to satisfy the natural science diversification requirement. No prerequisite. Offered every semester.