Farran Briggs

Farran Briggs, Ph.D., is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Rochester’s School of Medicine and Dentistry (SMD). She previously held an Assistant Professor position at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine (2011–2017) before moving her lab to Rochester in 2017. Her research focuses on understanding visual processing and attention mechanisms in neuronal circuits, particularly in the early visual system and thalamocortical pathways. She has been recognized with awards such as the 2022 Scholar-in-Residence and the 2016 Mentoring Award.

Dr. Briggs earned a B.A. in Biology from Dartmouth College (1997) and a Ph.D. in Biology from UC San Diego (2003). Her postdoctoral training at UC Davis explored visual systems neurophysiology with Drs. Usrey, Chapman, and Mangun. Her current projects investigate corticogeniculate feedback circuits, attention-driven modulation of visual signals, and visual processing in disease models.

Her lab employs cutting-edge techniques like optogenetics and functional ultrasound imaging to study how neuronal circuits encode visual information. Collaborators include researchers at the University of Rochester’s Center for Visual Science and Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience. Recent work highlights the role of corticogeniculate feedback in refining visual signal timing and precision.

Dr. Briggs mentors graduate students and postdocs, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to neuroscience. Her lab has trained researchers like Vanessa Mock and Mike Hembrook-Short, now recognized as new PhDs. She is also engaged in vision restoration studies post-V1 damage and explores naturalistic visual processing in freely moving subjects.