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
U.S. national primate research centers face an uncertain future
The facilities were meant to last 100 years. Four decades shy of that mark, amid flatlined funds and mounting political pressure, their directors are trying to find a path forward.
U.S. national primate research centers face an uncertain future
The facilities were meant to last 100 years. Four decades shy of that mark, amid flatlined funds and mounting political pressure, their directors are trying to find a path forward.
By
Calli McMurray
9 October 2026 | 12 min read
What if nonhuman primate research goes away?
As the U.S. government takes steps to stop using nonhuman primates in research, The Transmitter investigates what that shift could mean for neuroscience.
What if nonhuman primate research goes away?
As the U.S. government takes steps to stop using nonhuman primates in research, The Transmitter investigates what that shift could mean for neuroscience.
By
The Transmitter
9 October 2026 | 2 min read
The neuroscience questions that need nonhuman primates
The Transmitter asked 17 neuroscientists what questions might remain unanswered if support for nonhuman primate research continues to decline.
The neuroscience questions that need nonhuman primates
The Transmitter asked 17 neuroscientists what questions might remain unanswered if support for nonhuman primate research continues to decline.
By
Alissa de Chassey
9 October 2026 | 10 min read