ESP Biography



SUGANDHA SHARMA, MIT PhD Candidate




Major: Brain and Cognitive Sciences

College/Employer: MIT

Year of Graduation: G4

Picture of Sugandha Sharma

Brief Biographical Sketch:

I am a PhD candidate in MIT's department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences advised jointly by Prof. Ila Fiete and Prof. Josh Tenenbaum. I am interested in exploring the computational and theoretical principles underlying higher level cognition and intelligence in the human brain.

I use mathematical tools to study how the brain helps us navigate the world. It’s fascinating that the same brain regions that help us navigate through a city, can also help us infer relationships in family trees and social hierarchies. The brain continuously computes the body’s position in space and makes adjustments to that estimate as we move about. I am particularly interested in how the brain extrapolates information from one spatial environment to navigate new and different environments.

Our ability to navigate a labyrinth, for example, depends on a so-called “cognitive map,” or a mental representation of our physical environment. I study how this map is learned and organized in the brain so that we can quickly and efficiently find our way in the physical — and social — world.



Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

S14707: Brain as a computing device in Splash 2021 (Nov. 20 - 21, 2021)
This course presents Neuroscience in a light where the Brain is perceived as a computing device. We will start with basics of neurons as computing devices, show some very cool visual and auditory illusion demos, and talk about how we learn and remember things in day to day life!


S13106: Sensational Neuroscience: How Your Brain Understands the World in HSSP Summer 2019 (Jul. 07, 2019)
Ever wonder why some people hear “yanny” while others hear “laurel”? Or how visual illusions work? Come learn how the brain processes information from the senses to generate your perception of the world, and how this process can be hijacked. The classes will consist of interactive lectures followed by demonstrations, in which you will make sour things taste sweet, bend your vision, and mind control your classmates. During the last class, we will tour real neuroscience labs at MIT! We're excited to explore the brain with you! (Note: The first class will involve a sheep brain dissection. Any students who wish to leave during this portion of the class will be welcome to do so.)