People

The Lab

Audrey Sederberg

PI, GT

I am a physicist-turned-computational neuroscientist interested in how the brain processes information at the microcircuit level. Making sense of complex, high-dimensional datasets requires new ways of looking at biological data. To do so, I draw on techniques from physics and machine learning.

    Avishek Chatterjee

    Postdoc, UMN

    I aim to explore how mathematical models intersect with our understanding of cognitive processes in complex decision-making tasks and the criticality of the brain in studying the network of neurons and their phase transitions. Beyond the code and brainwaves, you’ll catch me with a camera in hand, trying to freeze time one snapshot at a time.

      Keith Van Antwerp

      Research Engineer, GT

      I explore neural structure-function in the mouse cortex through latent dynamics of spiking neural activity as a feature to predict or be predicted by digital 3D brain cell atlas area (structural) features.

        Sam Brunson

        Graduate Student, UMN

        I am a graduate student interested in using computational modeling to understand how various regions of the brain contribute to cognitive processes, and how those processes are interrupted in mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. I use techniques including Hidden Markov Modeling to analyze neural population data from nonhuman primates performing cognitive tasks. When I’m not in lab, I enjoy cooking, hiking, crocheting, and reading.

          Rachel Dick

          Graduate Student, UMN

          I am a graduate student exploring how individual neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex become disconnected as a result of NMDA receptor loss, which is a biomarker of schizophrenia. My work leverages single-cell measurements from patch clamp electrophysiology recordings to inform network-level estimates of population activity using computational models of the brain. I am passionate about enhancing our basic science understanding of psychiatric disorders in order to guide the development of better treatments for patients. Outside the lab, I love baking elaborate desserts, running with friends, doing grassroots democracy organizing, and tending to my small jungle of houseplants.

            Joe Emerson

            Graduate Student, UMN

            I am a PhD candidate working on understanding the mechanisms of visual perception. My primary focus lies in constructing detailed, implementation-level computational models of the primary visual cortex. This work is informed by cutting-edge neuroimaging techniques, notably 2-photon calcium imaging and functional magnetic resonance imaging. My projects are particularly centered on understanding how scene context affects the representation of local visual features. This research offers valuable insights into visual processing, specifically by illuminating the visual system’s remarkable capacity for prediction and inference. Outside of the lab, I’m an experienced percussionist and a novice guitarist, and enjoy playing rock and folk music.

              Luna Kettlewell

              Graduate Student, UMN

              I’m a computationally-focused graduate student interested in how the brain develops networks that can perceive the world. In my free time, you can find me baking bread, playing a video game, or climbing a wall somewhere

                M. Shane Li

                Research Scientist, GT

                I graduated from Emory University in 2024 with a degree in Philosophy and Neuroscience & Behavioral Biology. I am currently investigating how different cell types affect latent dynamics in spike activity. I am also interested in brain waves, memory as well as philosophy of science and modern European philosophy. In my free time, I like reading, watching movies, going on walks, and spending time with my cat.

                  Vanessa Morgan

                  Graduate Student, UMN

                  I’m a PhD student in the Graduate Program in Neuroscience, and I joined the lab in the summer of 2023. My research interests involve understanding neural dynamics and how these dynamics are different in autism. I’m particularly interested in accomplishing this using computational modeling and high field fMRI data. I’m a proudly autistic woman, and I try to integrate values held within neurodivergent communities into my work. I attended Hartwick College as a first-generation undergraduate, receiving a B.S. in computer science and a B.A. in psychology. Between then and grad school, I worked as a post-baccalaureate fellow at the NIH studying reinforcement learning in rhesus macaques. Outside of the lab, my interests include (both reading and writing) science fiction, bike rides (when the weather permits), and sewing.

                    Jennifer Fenton

                    Undergraduate Researcher, GT

                    I am a 5th-year computer science undergrad with a history in neuroscience. Currently, I am exploring how activity in different brain regions correlate to cognitive processes during tasks involving working memory.
                      young eslam, full of hope and energy

                      Eslam Abdelaleem

                      Postdoc, GT

                      Salam! I’m Eslam, and I work at the intersection of physics, biology, neuroscience, computer science, data science, and probably other fields. My current research focuses on making sense of high-dimensional neural recordings—figuring out what really matters in the data and building simple yet accurate models to describe it.

                      I earned my undergraduate degree from Zewail City, Egypt, in 2019, where I worked on machine learning models for auditory attention and ran Monte Carlo simulations for my graduation project (because what’s physics without a little randomness?). Then, I went down the rabbit hole of theoretical physics and neural networks during my Ph.D. at Emory University under Dr. Ilya Nemenman supervision, focusing on information-theoretic approaches to dimensionality reduction—among other things. Basically, I explored better ways to compress and interpret complex data while staying true to the underlying physics.

                      When I’m not wrangling data or tweaking models, I’m probably wondering why I learned High Valyrian during the pandemic lock down—or trying to convince people that physics and neuroscience are just two sides of the same coin.

                        Dessi Pinson

                        Undergraduate Researcher, GT

                        I am an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Neuroscience. I am currently exploring auditory predictive processing by building and training neural network models. In my free time I enjoy being in nature, playing piano, and spending time with friends.

                          Anuk Dias

                          Undergraduate Researcher, UMN/GT

                          I am an undergraduate pursuing degrees in Psychology and Computer Science. I am studying latent dynamics in the brain and how they might be related to critical brain processes. I’m broadly interested in understanding the processes in which the brain can transform electrical and chemical information into complex behavior. Outside of the lab, I love reading (especially literary fiction and fantasy), climbing rock walls and trees, and playing new card games.