Michelle B. Hefner
I am a PhD student in Psychology (Cognitive Neuroscience) at the University of Granada (CIMCYC), and I am fortunate to be supervised by Professors Maria Ruz and Christopher Summerfield (HIP Lab, University of Oxford). My doctoral research investigates the interplay between spatial memory and categorization learning, with a particular focus on uncovering the neural and computational mechanisms that underlie these processes in both humans and artificial networks. More broadly, I am interested in the concept of cognitive maps and the role of spatial structure as a scaffold for learning and memory.
My work sits at the intersection of cognitive neuroscience and artificial intelligence, drawing on behavioral experimentation, neuroimaging (particularly fMRI), and computational modeling - including neural network models. Prior to my doctoral training, I completed dual Bachelor's degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Chemical & Biological Engineering at Colorado State University, where I also pursued a minor in Mathematics. As an undergraduate researcher in the BRAiN Lab (Department of Human Development and Family Studies), I developed expertise in multimodal diffusion MRI analysis and applied machine learning methods to study white matter aging and brain function. This interdisciplinary foundation spanning engineering, mathematics, and neuroscience, continues to motivate my approach to research.
Outside of my core doctoral research, I've had the chance to work across a pretty varied range of areas: from public health and aging research at NYU, to 3D fluorescence microscopy as an undergrad, to a stint as a data scientist at an AI startup in Boulder. I like to think it keeps things interesting!
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