I studied how responses to sound in the central auditory system change following deafness or experience. By developing a method that gave a panoramic view of patterns of neurons activated by sound throughout the auditory pathway, I showed that changes in cortical response were not reflective of changes in earlier parts of the pathway.
My work is devoted to understanding how humans perceive the world—how we create a rich and detailed view of the world from sensory stimuli. Central to this work is the idea that perception is fundamentally a constructive process, involving the integration of multiple senses as well as behavior. Specifically, my work aims to uncover the basic mechanisms of how we perceive complex patterns in time, an ability which is the foundation of our ability to find meaning in speech and music, stimuli central to our existence as humans.
Time-frequency representation of magneto-encephalographic (MEG) activity evoked by a musical stimulus that produces ambiguous rhyhtmic percepts. The MEG pattern differs depending on the perceived rhythm, particularly for frequencies in the gamma range (20 Hz).
An essential hallmark of the SHBT program is that it encouraged a multidisciplinary approach, giving its students multiple perspectives from which to approach research questions. I appreciated the insistence on the highest standards of quality in research, a focus on finding the method to fit the question, rather than the other way around, and the emphasis on clear thinking and communication.
