Kiah Hardcastle
Currently: I'm a postdoc in Bence Ölveczky's lab at Harvard University studying the neural computations underlying motor learning. I'm particularly interested in understanding how animals learn through trial and error to shape their movements for reward (e.g. how a pet learns a trick), and how neural circuits in the basal ganglia support this behavior. I'm currently funded through Harvard Brain Science Initiative Postdoc Pioneers Program, but was previously funded by the Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research.
Previously: I received my Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Stanford University in 2019. I studied the neural mechanisms of spatial navigation using a combination of computational modeling and in vivo electrophysiology. In particular, I studied how neurons in the medial entorhinal cortex encoded relevant navigational variables, and how these properties might change depending on behavioral demands. I was advised by Dr. Lisa Giocomo and co-advised by Dr. Surya Ganguli. The link to my thesis is here. Before that, I studied mathematics and neuroscience at the College of William & Mary, and was advised by Dr. Gregory Smith and Dr. Joshua Burk.
Email: kiahhardcastle@gmail.com