We are recruiting!

Join Us: Understanding and Rebuilding Neural Circuits for Generalization

 

Our lab studies how brain circuits enable generalization—the ability to apply past experiences to unfamiliar objects and situations. This capacity is fundamental to flexible behavior in complex, real-world environments, allowing us to transfer skills and knowledge across contexts. For instance, once we learn to play tennis, we can often intuitively understand how to play other racket sports by drawing on shared dynamics and structure.

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We are especially interested in questions like:

• How does the brain generalize from familiar to novel situations to guide behavior?

• How does the brain predict how objects or agents move and incorporate such predictions into our planning?

• How does the brain make sense of real-world situations that involve countless combinations of different objects, where they are, and what they look like?

• How can impaired cognitive functions be restored to support real-world adaptability?

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To address these questions, we use behavioral tasks in virtual reality, two-photon calcium imaging and optogenetic manipulation in mice, and computational modeling. Our work is grounded in neurobiology, with a long-term goal of contributing to both basic science and therapeutic strategies for cognitive recovery in conditions like autism and stroke.

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If you are curious about the brain’s most powerful abilities, love building or hacking tools, and want to do translational systems neuroscience, you may find our lab a great fit. You’ll be encouraged to contribute your own ideas, present your work widely, and grow as an independent scientist. We’ll work together to shape our research direction, and I will be here to support you along the way.

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If you are interested, please either submit the form below or send your email to: skira@fsu.edu, including the requested information in the form and anything you'd like to share!

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