Bio
I am a natural born problem solver, with an intense drive to search for the best solutions to tough questions. I often consider obstacles in both my personal life and work life puzzles to be solved with unrelenting ferocity.
I am a neuropsychologist, which is someone who specializes in studying and understanding the relationship between brain anatomy and behavior. My work is motivated by observing behavior impairments in clinical populations such as stroke survivors and those who have had a traumatic brain injury. I use many different MRI brain imaging techniques to explore how the brain is both functionally and structurally organized. Most of my research interests center around the core concept of perception, and more specifically, understanding the different brain networks that support different perceptual abilities. What we perceive is a large part of how we choose to behave and interact with the world, and difficulties arise when brain damage diminishes our perceptual abilities as evidenced by syndromes such as visual neglect, or receptive aphasia. By trying to understand the influence of brain damage (or disruption) on behavior, we can also start building a better understanding of how the brain is organized, and how it operates in generally healthy people as well.
Over the course of my scientific career I have gained a great respect for the complexity of studying this intricate relationship between brain and behavior. Through the years I have developed a diverse skill set to compliment my many interests. I routinely create new software for my work in neuroimaging and cognitive behavioral testing, and various hobby projects. A large portion of these skills are applicable to many fields, and I consider my diversified, technical, problem-solving abilities a strength in many settings.
