The Science of Learning Institute includes a broad network of scientists, practitioners, and educators with expertise spanning basic and applied sciences.
I am interested in the neurobiological mechanisms of learning and memory in older adults.
My research spans applications of computing to medicine with an emphasis on imaging and robotics, and their use to augment human capabilities in medicine. In the last 12 years, I have developed and led several projects related to computer-enhanced surgery.
I am interested in language acquisition and the possibility that logical deductive inference my play a role in the learning of new words. I also study the organization of attention, working memory, and the connection of mind to world.
I am interested in enhancing educational practices through techniques that foster innovation and creative problem-solving for all students.
I am interested in the use of mentorship to facilitate learning outcomes and professional development, education in health professions education, assessment and accountability in ensuring learning outcomes, and faculty development in higher education.
I am interested in the role of melanopsin cells in regulating mammalian physiology.
I am interested in how language and other cognitive functions recover after stroke. My work specifically examines treatments for disorders such as aphasia and hemispatial neglect
I am interested in the effects of environment, and particularly poverty and parenting, on voluntary forms of self-regulation (e.g., executive functions) and the involuntary activity of neurophysiological systems that support self-regulatory abilities.
I am interested in the regulation of neurotransmitter receptors and brain function in health and disease.
The goal of my laboratory is to understand how neural circuits learn to produce responses to environmental cues that increase the fitness of the animal, and how disruption of this process contributes to cognitive disease.