Bio:

​Ethan joined the Neural Coding group in 2018 to study the neural basis of behavior, in particular the role of the claustrum. He received his B.S. in Neurobiology at the University of Washington where he researched neural plasticity in the chicken auditory brainstem in Ed Rubel’s lab. Ethan earned his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of California, San Diego while doing his graduate work in Ed Callaway’s lab at the Salk Institute. Ethan’s thesis work focused on context-dependent changes in visually-driven neural responses in the mouse primary visual cortex. By training mice in slightly different tasks and performing bilateral electrophysiology, he found that the effect of locomotion on visual response properties depends on task specifics. Ethan will use his expertise in electrophysiology, behavior, and optogenetics to investigate neural activity in the claustrum and connected brain structures as well as its role in behavior.