David C. Noelle

David C. Noelle serves as Associate Professor and Department Chair of Cognitive and Information Sciences at the University of California, Merced, and is also affiliated with the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science graduate group.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Cognitive Science and Computer Science from the University of California, San Diego
• Postdoctoral training at the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University

Dr. Noelle's research centers on computational cognitive neuroscience, focusing on the prefrontal cortex and its role in learning, memory, and cognitive control. His work involves developing and testing computational models of brain function to understand rule-guided behavior, concept formation, and working memory mechanisms. Key interests span connectionism, implicit/explicit learning paradigms, biologically inspired cognitive architectures, and applications in educational technologies, with strong intersections between cognitive psychology, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.

Scientific Awards:

• No specific awards were mentioned in the provided text.

As head of the Computational Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Dr. Noelle mentors PhD students in the Cognitive and Information Sciences program. His laboratory actively recruits candidates with computational and mathematical expertise for research on neural mechanisms underlying human learning, memory, decision making, and cognitive control, particularly emphasizing candidates from underrepresented groups including women, minorities, veterans, and individuals with disabilities.

Laboratory: The Computational Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory conducts cutting-edge research on computational models of prefrontal cortex function and their applications to cognitive architectures and educational technology development.