Michael J Hawken

Michael J. Hawken is a Professor of Neural Science at New York University's College of Arts & Science. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Otago. His research focuses on understanding how visual perception arises from neural circuits in the primate visual cortex, combining connectomics, functional characterization of receptive fields, and computational modeling. Key areas include neuronal population dynamics, functional clustering in cortical layers, and long-range circuit motifs.

Research emphasizes structural connectomics (e.g., thalamic inputs to V1 layer 4C), functional clustering of neurons in layer 6, and computational models simulating cortical dynamics. Collaborations with NYU mathematicians have produced large-scale models of V1 layers, exploring direction selectivity and feedforward information flow.

Publications span over three decades, with recent work in Journal of Neuroscience, PNAS, and Current Opinion in Physiology. His studies bridge neurophysiology and theory, addressing how cortical circuits underpin visual perception.

Notable contributions include defining laminar distributions of neuronal subtypes (Kv3.1b, PV) and identifying functional clusters through multi-dimensional stimulus analysis. Ongoing projects extend findings to human cortex to compare macaque-human homologies.