Welcome!
I’m a lecturer in the department of philosophy and the philosophy-neuroscience-psychology program at Washington University in St. Louis. Formerly I was a postdoctoral visitor with Harris Lab at York University studying the integration of auditory, proprioceptive, and visual feedback in the control of movement. I’m also an associate member of the Centre for Philosophy of Memory, researching the role of memory in perception and the phenomenology of episodic memory. I previously worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Network for Sensory Research in the Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto. I completed my Ph.D. in philosophy at Rice University (Houston, Texas).
Movement Sonification
I do psychology experiments on how auditory feedback can augment, replace, and enrich natural proprioception, improving motor learning and motor control in fast, skilled movements. I worked previously through my company Performance Sonification (dissolved) and now in collaboration with Harris Lab at York University.
Hardware
I develop ultra fast wearable embedded sensor systems for movement sonification. I work with the Cortex M4 and ESP32, develop bare-metal digital sound synthesis techniques, use inertial sensors, design bespoke PCB feathers (KiCad), and 3D print enclosures (FreeCAD).
Motion Processing and Spatial Analysis
I write motion processing algorithms for both real-time processing in embedded hardware (C++) and for post-processing (R). I do motion detection and segmentation, coordinate transformations, input integration, path comparisons (error estimation), and time-warping (both post-processing dynamic time-warping and real-time online warping estimates).
Phenomenal Consciousness
I do interdisciplinary research on how we subjectively experience the world. I’m particularly interested in how memory and sensory perception interact to afford consciousness of the past and present. Most of my work focuses on experiencing what’s not there (memories, dreams, hallucinations, VR), the feelings of presence and pastness, and the neural correlates of consciousness.
Image: Self-portrait by Ernst Mach, 1886
Computational Modelling
Neuromatch Academy’s course in computational neuroscience got me started with GLMs for modelling task-dependent fMRI responses and linear decoders of fMRI data. I’ve written a bunch of Python code for both real public fMRI data (e.g., through the HCP), and code to generate realistic simulated fMRI data.
Teaching and AI Demos
I’ve taught philosophy and cognitive science at a wide range of schools. I make philosophy relevant to STEM students, and STEM relevant to philosophy students. In addition to traditional lectures and Socratic discussion, I’m writing a series of accessible coding demos in CoLab for core models in cognitive science, such as deep neural networks and “physical symbol systems” (in the style of Simon and Newell). My teaching philosophy.
Bikes and Sport
I’ve been an amateur athlete much of my life, competing in both powerlifting as a youth and track cycling as an adult. In the past, I’ve raced at velodromes in Texas, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario. I’ve also worked as a community youth cycling coach and as a bike mechanic in a local bike shop. (Photo credit: Ivan Rupes.)
Interested in chatting about human perception or movement sonification?