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
Susana Carmona on the neurobiology of pregnancy
In a Q&A about her new book, “A Mother’s Brain,” Carmona shares key moments in her career that led her to study the neuroscience of motherhood and discusses some of the major questions the field still needs to address.
Susana Carmona on the neurobiology of pregnancy
In a Q&A about her new book, “A Mother’s Brain,” Carmona shares key moments in her career that led her to study the neuroscience of motherhood and discusses some of the major questions the field still needs to address.
By
Francisco J. Rivera Rosario
6 October 2026 | 9 min watch
Aging biomarkers in autism; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 5 October.
Aging biomarkers in autism; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 5 October.
By
Jill Adams
6 October 2026 | 2 min read
Beyond wiring diagrams: Inside a $19 million effort to expand access to connectome technology
Davi Bock’s lab took the millions of images that led to the complete connectome of a fruit fly brain. Now he wants to apply “this high-throughput flashlight across all areas of biology.”
Beyond wiring diagrams: Inside a $19 million effort to expand access to connectome technology
Davi Bock’s lab took the millions of images that led to the complete connectome of a fruit fly brain. Now he wants to apply “this high-throughput flashlight across all areas of biology.”
By
Calli McMurray
6 October 2026 | 11 min read