Earl K. Miller is Picower Professor of Neuroscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with faculty roles in the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. His lab focuses on neural mechanisms of cognition, especially working memory, attention and executive control, using both experimental and computational methods. He holds a B.A. from Kent State University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Princeton University. In 2020, he received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Kent State University.
Earl K. Miller
Professor of neuroscience
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Selected articles
- “An integrative theory of prefrontal cortex function” | Annual Review of Neuroscience
- “Top-down versus bottom-up control of attention in the prefrontal and posterior parietal cortices” | Science
- “The importance of mixed selectivity in complex cognitive tasks” | Nature
- “Gamma and beta bursts during working memory readout suggest roles in its volitional control” | Nature Communications
Explore more from The Transmitter
When autistic kids grow up, Chapter 3: Would there be data?
Tempest McDonald takes a postdoctoral position at Vanderbilt University. Researching her paper accusing the National Institutes of Health of discrimination threatens everything she has built.
When autistic kids grow up, Chapter 3: Would there be data?
Tempest McDonald takes a postdoctoral position at Vanderbilt University. Researching her paper accusing the National Institutes of Health of discrimination threatens everything she has built.
By
Brady Huggett
18 June 2026 | 27 min listen
Cousin comparison parses genetic effects in autism
The approach helps reveal whether maternal genes contribute directly to autism in children or have indirect effects on the prenatal environment.
Cousin comparison parses genetic effects in autism
The approach helps reveal whether maternal genes contribute directly to autism in children or have indirect effects on the prenatal environment.
By
Charles Q. Choi
18 June 2026 | 4 min read
Single-neuron recordings zoom into ‘blurry map’ of human motor cortex
The motor cortex is organized into an "intermixed jumble of tiles" to generate meaningful movement.
Single-neuron recordings zoom into ‘blurry map’ of human motor cortex
The motor cortex is organized into an "intermixed jumble of tiles" to generate meaningful movement.
By
Claudia López Lloreda
17 June 2026 | 5 min read