EEE 591/592 Seminar:
Neural Mechanisms of Multisensory Behavioral Control
Associate Professor İsmail Uyanık
Hacettepe University
Date/Time: Friday, December 6, 2024 at 16:00-17:00 TSI
Place: EE 517
Abstract: Animals rely on multisensory integration to perceive and interact with their environment. The central nervous system (CNS) filters and dynamically weights sensory inputs to optimize perception, but the neural and behavioral mechanisms underlying this process remain poorly understood. This talk explores these mechanisms through the study of weakly electric fish, which combine visual and electrosensory cues during their natural shelter-seeking behavior. Using a novel experimental setup, we examine how sensory salience, noise, and active sensing movements influence dynamic sensory weighting.
Biography: Ismail Uyanik is an Associate Professor of the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at the Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. He was a postdoctoral researcher in the Laboratory of Computational Sensing and Robotics (LCSR) at Johns Hopkins University from July 2017 to July 2019. He received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Bilkent University in May 2017. Throughout his Ph.D. studies at Bilkent, he developed model-based and data-driven system identification methods for the analysis and control of legged locomotion. He also received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from the same department in June 2009 and August 2011, respectively. His current research focuses on discovering the principles of sensorimotor control in animals by developing novel techniques in system identification theory, neuroscience, and robotics. Dr. Uyanik is a recipient of the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowship.