Joseph Emerson

Entering Class - 2019

E-MAIL:  [email protected]

PhD: 2025

PhD Thesis:

Mechanisms of Contextual Modulation in Primary Visual Cortex.

Undergraduate Institution and Major:

Ohio Wesleyan University, B.A. in Computational Neuroscience, 2019

Graduate Advisor:

Cheryl Olman, Ph.D., Department of Psychology

Graduate Publications:

Emerson J, Navarro K, Olman CA. Different contextual modulation mechanisms exhibit distinct laminar profiles in human primary visual cortex. In review

Graduate Abstracts:

  • Emerson J, Navarro K, Olman C. Feedback to V1 strongly influences BOLD signal during contextual modulation: Evidence from laminar fMRI. Journal of Vision Vision Sciences Society Abstract; 2024;24:1467.
  • Emerson J, Sederberg A, Olman C. The emergence of gamma oscillations as a signature of gain control during context integration. Journal of Vision Vision Sciences Society Abstract; 2022;22:4008.

Graduate Honors

  • Council of Graduate Students Career Development and Advancement Award 2023
  • BRAIN Initiative Trainee Highlight Award Honorable Mention 2023
  • ARCS Foundation Scholarship Award   2020-2021

Research Categories:

  • Computational Neuroscience
  • Neuroengineering
  • Visual Neurosciences

Rotations:

  • Cheryl Olman
  • Tay Netoff

What got you interested in research?

Although I originally entered my undergraduate program in the physics department, my first research experience was focused on computational modeling of focal epilepsy, which introduced me to the field of neuroscience. In working on this project, I found the research questions in neuroscience to be very compelling and promising. This experience prompted me to learn more about how mathematical and computational methods can be applied to neuroscience questions in a variety of ways.

Prior Publications:

  • Emerson J, Afelin A, Sliupas V, Fink CG. Identifying influential nodes in a network model of epilepsy. J Nonlin Sci. 30(6):2283-2308.

Why did you choose the University of Minnesota?

The expertise and wide range of research interests at the university drew me toward the program, and the excellent community of students and faculty confirmed my desire to choose UMN.

Student mentor and the best advice they gave:

Jessica Froula: She gave me great advice about prioritizing my study time during my first year.

Favorite Itasca memory:

Renting a pontoon boat and spending the day on the lake was definitely a highlight.

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