CNS*2026 Halifax

I am an Assistant Professor at the University of Connecticut, having opened my lab in the Department of Physiology and Neurobiology in January 2024.

The Rich Lab uses computational neuroscience in research centered on a fundamental question: How does the brain benefit from biophysical diversity at the level of neurons and microcircuits? The lab utilizes a wealth of tools from computational neuroscience, including the creation of biophysically detailed models of individual neurons, the study of in silico neuronal microcircuits, and mathematical analysis of more abstract models of large-scale brain activity, in this endeavor. This research is focused on understanding of how experimentally characterized sources of heterogeneity and diversity in the brain contribute to physiologically relevant brain function and, conversely, how observed disruptions to this variability might promote a range of neuropathologies.

An early focus of the lab is using this perspective to study Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS). VNS has been used for decades to treat epilepsy and depression, and recently approved for use in stroke rehabilitation. However, the mechanisms of action by which VNS achieves its therapeutic effects are poorly understood at the mechanistic level of neurons and microcircuits, particularly as it pertains to VNS-paired therapy in stroke rehabilitation. Computational neuroscience is uniquely situated to connect what is known about VNS to effects at the level of cortical microcircuits that may explain its efficacy, with one potential explanation being the promotion of neuronal heterogeneity.