David Barack is a philosopher and neuroscientist who studies the neural circuits of foraging behavior and the conceptual foundations of cognitive neuroscience. He is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. After earning his B.A. in consciousness studies at Pitzer College, he received his M.A. in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and his Ph.D. in philosophy from Duke University, where he also received a certificate in cognitive neuroscience. He is currently writing a book on the neurodynamical foundations of mind.
David Barack
Research associate in neuroscience and philosophy
University of Pennsylvania
From this contributor
Must a theory be falsifiable to contribute to good science?
Four researchers debate the role that non-testable theories play in neuroscience.
Must a theory be falsifiable to contribute to good science?
Explore more from The Transmitter
Why neural foundation models work, and what they might—and might not—teach us about the brain
These models can partly generalize across species, brain regions and tasks, suggesting that a set of machine-learnable rules govern neural population activity. But will we be able to understand them?
Why neural foundation models work, and what they might—and might not—teach us about the brain
These models can partly generalize across species, brain regions and tasks, suggesting that a set of machine-learnable rules govern neural population activity. But will we be able to understand them?
Error equation predicts brain’s ability to generalize
Four statistical measurements of neural network geometry capture how well brains and artificial networks use what they already know to solve new problems, a study suggests.
Error equation predicts brain’s ability to generalize
Four statistical measurements of neural network geometry capture how well brains and artificial networks use what they already know to solve new problems, a study suggests.
Embrace complexity to improve the translatability of basic neuroscience
Researchers must learn to view heterogeneity as an essential feature of the systems they study and a central consideration in experimental design, not a variable to control for or reduce.
Embrace complexity to improve the translatability of basic neuroscience
Researchers must learn to view heterogeneity as an essential feature of the systems they study and a central consideration in experimental design, not a variable to control for or reduce.