research
Sensorimotor integration and the geometry of neural population dynamics, studied in songbirds.
what I work on
I work at the intersection of computational and systems neuroscience, motivated by neuroethology and the challenge of linking real-world behavior to neural activity. Within that broader goal I am particularly interested in sensorimotor integration and the geometry of neural population dynamics.
In the Gentner Lab I study vocal communication in songbirds. Vocal communication naturally connects perception and action. The sounds songbirds have to interpret while listening are the same sounds they later produce and sequence during singing. That tight coupling makes it possible to study how population-level neural dynamics support sensorimotor behavior from end to end.
where it is going
As a recipient of the NIH F99/K00 Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Transition Award, I will carry this work into a postdoc in the Brunton Lab at the University of Washington beginning in April 2027. My overarching goal is to create testable models that connect circuit architecture, neural population coding, and flexible cognition, and that yield generalizable theoretical principles for large-scale neural activity.
how I got here
My research experience spans a range of disciplines. I started out in numerical analysis and number theory as an undergraduate. My formative experience as an NIH BP ENDURE fellow at Washington University in St. Louis gave me my first opportunity to work in an experimental neuroscience laboratory, and it instilled in me a lasting commitment to bridging computational models with experimental work through close collaboration with experimentalists.
papers
Publications and preprints are on Google Scholar.