John Pearson

Bio

Our lab builds quantitative tools and theories to understand how brains control bodies to learn and survive in a complex world. In particular, we are interested in the process by which organisms like songbirds learn complex motor skills without external reinforcement, the way simple information processing principles can explain the organization of early sensory systems, and how complex behaviors like swimming and grasping are coordinated across the brain. To this end, we also design software tools and algorithm that allow us to model and perturb neural systems in real time.

Education

• B.S. University of Kentucky, 1999
• Ph.D. Princeton University, 2004

Positions

• Assistant Professor of Neurobiology
• Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
• Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Assistant Research Professor in Neurobiology
• Member of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

• Early Career Mentoring Award in Basic u2014 Translational Science. Duke University School of Medicine. 2022
• Gordon G. Hammes Faculty Teaching Award. Duke University School of Medicine. 2020

Courses Taught

• NEUROSCI 755: Interdisciplinary Program in Cognitive Neuroscience (IPCN) Independent Research Rotation
• NEUROSCI 494: Research Independent Study 2
• NEUROSCI 493: Research Independent Study 1
• NEUROBIO 735: Quantitative Approaches in Neurobiology
• NEUROBIO 730: Statistics for Neuroscience