Research Focus:

Understanding how the cortex works will require building complex models that capture the essence of its computational principles. To test each of these models, we need datasets that appropriately capture the dimensionality of all the phenomena we want to understand. I seek to generate the datasets that will allow us to test decades-old ideas on cortical function. What are the roles of the different cortical layers? How do multiple brain areas collaborate to bring about cortical computation? Using a combination of high-throughput neuronal population recordings via optical imaging and careful experimental design, I hope to alleviate a generic problem in neuroscience: overfitting.