James DiCarlo

James DiCarlo is the Peter de Florez Professor of Neuroscience at MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Director of the MIT Quest for Intelligence, and an investigator at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research. He earned his M.D. and Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University and completed postdoctoral training at Baylor College of Medicine. His research focuses on understanding the neuronal mechanisms of visual intelligence, combining neurophysiology, imaging, and computational models. Key areas include machine vision systems, neural prosthetics, and applications to brain disorders like autism and dyslexia.

Affiliations

• Director, MIT Quest for Intelligence
• Investigator, McGovern Institute for Brain Research
• Co-Director, Center for Brains, Minds, and Machines

Research Interests

His lab explores how the brain processes visual information, develops AI inspired by biological systems, and investigates neural mechanisms underlying perception and learning. Work includes studying object recognition, visual search asymmetry, and the impact of neural interventions via optogenetics and deep learning models.

Key Awards

• Alfred Sloan Fellowship
• Pew Scholar in Biomedical Sciences
• McKnight Scholar in Neuroscience

Labs & Collaborations

The DiCarlo Lab fosters a diverse, inclusive environment with a focus on teamwork and innovation. Ongoing projects include Brain-Score, a platform to benchmark computational models against brain data, and developing robust ANN models for perceptual tasks.