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