Gordon BermanAssociate Professor

Education

• Ph.D., Cornell University, 2009
• B.S., University of Michigan, 2003

Research Area

• Neuroscience
• Computational Biology

Graduate Program Affiliation

• Emory/Georgia Tech Biomedical Engineering
• Neuroscience

Research Description

Our lab uses theoretical, computational, and data-driven approaches to gain quantitative insight into entire repertoires of animal behaviors, aiming to make connections to the neurobiology, genetics, and evolutionary histories and that underlie them. In particular, we are interested in not just the precise physical and physiological mechanisms behind the performance of a single behavior or motion.

Instead, we primarily focus on the intricate interactions that underlie the temporal ordering, control, and evolution of an organism’s movements, attempting to unearth general organizing principles that apply across species.

These studies include building new computational tools for measuring behavioral structures across many time scales, analyzing the biomechanical basis of rapid control in insects, revealing social context and temporal patterning in rodent vocalizations, and using data from optogenetic and targeted genetic introgression screens to probe the neurological control of behavioral commands and the evolution of behavior in fruit flies.

Research Lab Description

Our lab attempts to reveal new insights into animal behavior through developing novel theoretical and computational techniques. We have a particular emphasis on data-driven approaches, pursuing quantitative understanding into entire repertoires of behaviors and aiming to make connections to the genetics, neurobiology, and evolutionary histories that underlie them.

Publications