Principal Investigator

Lee M. Miller Professor – Dept. of Neurobiology, Physiology & BehaviorProfessor – Dept. of Otolaryngology | Head and Neck Surgery Technical Director: UC Davis Center for Mind & Brain UC Davis leemiller@ucdavis.edu : (530) 297-4474 Lee Miller received his doctorate in Bioengineering from the University of California, San Francisco and Berkeley. His academic training includes quantum physics, single-cell neurophysiology, and cognitive neuroscience. He is a Professor at UC Davis in the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, & Behavior and the Department of Otolaryngology / Head and Neck Surgery. He serves as Technical Director of the UC Davis Center for Mind & Brain, where his lab investigates the neural bases of auditory perception and speech recognition. His goal is to use techniques such as EEG, functional MRI, and machine learning to translate fundamental scientific results into real-world solutions for people with hearing loss.

Graduate Students

Britt Yazel Neuroscience Graduate Group – bwyazel@ucdavis.edu Britt received a bachelor’s in biology with minors in computer science and biochemistry from Eastern Washington University in 2014. He is currently a 5th year Ph.D. student in the U.C. Davis Neuroscience Graduate Group, and works in the labs of Dr. Lee Miller and Dr. Sanjay Joshi. Britt’s work is focused on auditory selective attention, neuroprosthetic devices, and accessibility technology for persons with disabilities. Britt expects to graduate in the spring of 2021.

Tanya Matyushkina (member of Prof. David Corina’s lab). Tanya is a 4th year graduate student in Psychology, broadly interested in speech perception. Her current project is dedicated to investigation of effects of cross-modal plasticity on speech perception in children with cochlear implants.

Postdoctoral Scholars

Kelsey Mankel Kelsey Mankel received her doctorate in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Memphis in 2021. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in music, neuroscience, and psychology from Central Michigan University. Her research interests include how listening experience (e.g., music training), learning, and individual differences in perceptual and cognitive factors contribute to the neural processing of speech and music.

Daniel Comstock Daniel earned his PhD in Cognitive and Information Sciences from the University of California – Merced, and his Bachelors in Cognitive Science from the University of Wisconsin – Stout. He is broadly interested in the role of higher cognitive systems in auditory and visual perception, the neural mechanisms of timing, and EEG data processing and analysis methods. His previous work includes investigations into the role of the motor system in auditory and visual rhythm cognition and timing, the role of the motor system in audiovisual speech integration, and the effects of repetitive non-concussive head-impacts on neural processing.

Research Assistants

	Karim Abou Najm Karim is a first year undergraduate double majoring in Computer Science and Cognitive Science, and minoring in Mathematics. He is a passionate student working towards an understanding of the brain and pushing the boundaries of what can be done with it, through augmentation. This interest extends computationally to learning and emulating the mind, and neurologically to the biological interface on multiple levels of magnification. Outside of class, Karim enjoys writing, usually composing creative pieces and critically reviewing novels.
	Jessica Cai Jessica is an ASPIRE fellow and Computer Science & Engineering major who loves creating innovative solutions to interesting problems. She is conducting EEG analysis to investigate speech encoding/decoding, and is fascinated by how the brain processes sound. In her free time, Jessica likes to run, bake, and go on long walks. She is also interested in learning first aid, ASL, and home/auto repair.
	Ian Chuang Ian is a freshman at UC Davis majoring in Computer Science and Engineering. He is interested in pursuing research and using computer science to solve a wide range of applications. Outside of computer science, his interests include playing tennis, 3D printing, and watching One Piece.
	Nandhini Sridhar Nandhini is a freshman at UC Davis majoring in Computer Science and Engineering and minoring in Economics. She is very interested in pursuing research in both fields to learn how to apply what she learns to solve real problems in a wide range on contexts. In her free time, Nandhini enjoys reading novels of various genres, painting, and hiking with friends.
	Aman Ganapathy Aman Ganapathy is a third year Computer Science and Engineering major. He is fascinated by data, more specifically the development of tools and abstract structures to better compartmentalize and utilize it. More specifically, he likes reading and developing algorithms geared towards those specific purposes. In his spare time, he likes to jog, play chess, and read.
	Jan Truong Jan is a third-year electrical and computer engineering undergraduate student at UC Davis. Her interests lie in microcontroller applications and circuit design. Outside of academia, she likes to spend time with friends and family.
	Matthew Helkey Matthew is a sophomore computer science student who loves to learn and explore the various fields within computer science. He is interested in using machine learning to create new methods of gathering clean and precise data. In his free time, Matthew enjoys surfing, skateboarding, hiking, and playing video games with friends
	Sarah Yuniar Sarah is a second-year student pursuing a computer science and engineering major at UC Davis. She loves web programming and making sims in C++, as well as learning more computer and human languages than she needs to. She likes mac and cheese and coffee in unhealthy amounts, and her hobbies include reading, writing, coding, piano, and continuously failing latte art.

Collaborators

	Sanjay Joshi Professor of Engineering –  Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering – UC Davis
	David Corina Prof. of Linguistics – Center for Mind & Brain, UC Davis
	Kristina Backer Assistant Professor – UC Merced
	Antoine (Tony) Shahin Assoc. Research Professor – UC Merced
	Gregg Recanzone Professor of Neurobiology, Physiology, & Behavior – UC Davis
	Wilsaan Joiner Professor in Dept. of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior and Dept. of Neurology

Alumni

Andrew Kessler	Nathaniel Guteirrez	Christopher Bishop
Kristina Backer	Tom Campbell	Kevin Hill
Jess Kerlin	Sam London	Bartlett Moore
Markham Anderson	Deepak Yadav	Fernando Espinosa-Iniguez
Matthew Stickle	Niranjana Jayakrishnan	Aashir Farooqi
Yinuo Qin	Luis El Srouji	Sonja Swanson
Akshita Sharma	Ipsa Parekh