Ever wondered how our brains make sense of the world?
How does experience become memory?
We do too!
The architecture of experience
Perception, encoding, and retrieval are are the invisible architects of human experience. Every fleeting sensation we encounter must be actively perceived by our senses, translated and encoded into our complex memory systems, and reliably retrieved to guide our future actions. By untangling this continuous flow of information through critical brain structures like the hippocampus, we are not simply mapping cognitive mechanics. We are answering a much deeper question: how our brains transform raw, everyday inputs into the lasting memories, profound behaviors, and rich tapestry of life that define exactly who we are.
What we do
A computational approach to the human sense of smell
Neurophysiology and interoception of breathing
Neuroimaging: functional MRI
EEG and intracranial recordings
Our research missions
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Mapping the mind through smell: We explore how the brain constructs unique "cognitive maps" from complex sensory inputs, using olfaction as a powerful lens into high-dimensional, nonspatial information.
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The shaping of cognition by respiratory patterns: We explore how the way we breathe impacts our ability to perceive and process the world around us.
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From real life to memory: We investigate the mechanics of multi-sensory integration to understand exactly how the brain transforms everyday, naturalistic experiences into lasting memories.
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Decoding trauma and autobiographical memory: By applying highly personalized paradigms, we trace the neural roots of deeply personal memories, with a dedicated focus on understanding negative emotional memories and PTSD.
Research tools & methodologies
Olfactory experiments
Encoding of naturalistic memories
Cutting-edge wearables for respiratory monitoring
Perceptual alignment between humans and large language models