Research:
I am interested in behavior. As an engineer would describe it, sensory input is integrated and an appropriate motor output is computed, which in turn affects the environment and changes the sensory input at the next time interval. This is the continuous feedback loop that we describe as "behavior". The integration of input and computation of output are performed by the animal's brain and nervous system such that the animal can survive, find food, and mate robustly, i.e., under widely varying environmental condtions. What are the properties of the brain that make this possible? What subtle sensory cues detemine the difference between triggering feeding or escape behavior? How are these cues separated from the other stimuli present simultaneously in the environment? On a neural level, how are these computations made? These are some questions that drive my research.
Education
B.S. Chemistry, Montana State, 2001
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