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
How will neuroscience training need to change in the future?
Training in computational neuroscience, data science and statistics will need to expand, say many of the scientists we surveyed. But that must be balanced with a more traditional grounding in the scientific method and critical thinking. Researchers noted that funding concerns will also affect training, especially for people from underrepresented groups.
How will neuroscience training need to change in the future?
Training in computational neuroscience, data science and statistics will need to expand, say many of the scientists we surveyed. But that must be balanced with a more traditional grounding in the scientific method and critical thinking. Researchers noted that funding concerns will also affect training, especially for people from underrepresented groups.
By
The Transmitter
15 November 2025 | 11 min read
The leaders we have lost
Learn more about the lives and legacies of the neuroscientists who passed away between 2023 and 2025.
The leaders we have lost
Learn more about the lives and legacies of the neuroscientists who passed away between 2023 and 2025.
By
The Transmitter
15 November 2025 | 4 min read
What are the most-cited neuroscience papers from the past 30 years?
Highly cited papers reflect the surge in artificial-intelligence research in the field and other technical advances, plus prizewinning work on analgesics, the fusiform face area and ion channels.
What are the most-cited neuroscience papers from the past 30 years?
Highly cited papers reflect the surge in artificial-intelligence research in the field and other technical advances, plus prizewinning work on analgesics, the fusiform face area and ion channels.
By
The Transmitter
15 November 2025 | 11 min read