Mariner Books, 2023
A history of the five evolutionary breakthroughs that produced human intelligence, and what they suggest about building artificial intelligence.
About me
I do research on neural memory and cortical microcircuits at Columbia University and the Astera Institute. At Columbia I am advised by Rich Zemel, David Blei, and Hongseok Namkoong.
I wrote a book about the evolution of human intelligence, A Brief History of Intelligence. I am currently working on a science fiction novel.
I co-founded two AI software companies, Bluecore and Alby, both of which were acquired. I serve on the board of the Thousand Brains Project.
Books
Currently working on a science fiction novel about the origins of life.
Papers
Preprint, 2026. Workshop poster, CATS @ ICML 2026.
Frontiers in Neuroanatomy, 2021
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 2021
Frontiers in Neural Circuits, 2020
Featured Talks & Interviews
Machine Learning Street Talk, 2025
Computational and Systems Neuroscience (Cosyne), 2025
Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, 2024
GoldLab Symposium, University of Colorado Boulder, 2024
Art of the Problem, 2024
An animated telling of the five breakthroughs, made with Art of the Problem.
The Cognitive Revolution, with Nathan Labenz, 2024
Love & Philosophy, with Andrea Hiott, 2024
Brain Inspired, with Paul Middlebrooks, 2023
