Translational Neuroscience for Human Machine Systems
The past several decades have seen an explosion of meaningful and nuanced insights into the connection between human behavior and the nervous system; however, the translation of these insights into viable applications is a non-trivial and widely acknowledged challenge. Recent advancements in brain-computer interaction and real-world neuroimaging technologies have provided major breakthroughs that provide the underpinnings for translational neuroscience research efforts. In this seminar I will discuss the current state of global neuroscience and present specific projects at ARL that integrate translational neuroscience concepts with neurotechnology development for improved human-machine interaction. Key technical challenges and areas of future research will also be discussed.
Dr. Vernon J Lawhern
Human Research and Human Machine Systems Directorate, U.S. Army Research Laboratory on February 17, 2017 at 11:45 AM in Engineering Building III, Room 2213
Dr. Vernon Lawhern received his Ph.D. in Statistics from the Florida State University,
Tallahassee, FL, in 2011, under the advisement of Wei Wu. There he focused on the
development of statistical models of motor cortex neural activity for developing brainmachine
interfaces for neuroprosthetic control of artificial limbs. From 2011 to 2014 he was
a joint postdoctoral fellow with the University of Texas and the Army Research Laboratory,
where he focused on developing machine learning and statistical modeling techniques for
EEG signal processing and large scale data analysis. Since 2014 he has been a Mathematical
Statistician with the Human Research and Engineering Directorate at the U.S. Army
Research Laboratory. His research interests span the areas of statistics, machine learning
and neuroscience, and is interested in using these approaches for designing robust
neurotechnologies for human-machine interaction.
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering hosts a regularly scheduled seminar series with preeminent and leading reseachers in the US and the world, to help promote North Carolina as a center of innovation and knowledge and to ensure safeguarding its place of leading research.