We would like to wish Eric Dodds a big congratulations on receiving his PhD! Eric’s thesis explored consequences of implementation in models of biological neural systems that process low-level sensory information. In the visual domain, he proposed a novel explanation for an important aspect of retinal processing as a prerequisite for using local learning rules to represent the sparse features of natural scenes. In the auditory domain, he provided evidence that the need to process sounds in a causal manner may explain the time-asymmetry of linear models of cochlear processing. He also provided the first direct comparison of the sparse structure of natural images and natural sounds in order to better understand how models of visual and auditory systems should be alike and different.

Eric will be joining the AI Team at Verizon Media Group (formerly named Oath) where he will be a research scientist working on computer vision problems. Best of luck to you, Eric, and thank you for brightening the Redwood Center with your sharp insight and luscious locks. We’ll miss you!