I am a postdoctoral researcher in Computational Neuroscience at the Computational Neuroscience Initiative in University of Pennsylvania, with Prof. Johannes Burge. I am currently working on modeling 3D-motion perception with natural stimuli, modeling the effects of neural variability on divisive normalization, and applying geometric data analysis tools to natural image statistics.

I received my PhD in Neuroscience from the Faculty of Sciences at Universidad de la República (UdelaR), Uruguay, during which I also collaborated with Ruben Coen-Cagli at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. During my PhD I used psychophysics and computational modeling to study naturalistic texture perception. Before that, I got my BSc in Biochemistry, also from UdelaR.

Research interests

Natural visual inputs are high dimensional, complex and ambiguous. However, the brain makes sense of them in order to perceive the world. I’m interested in understanding what are the challenges that the brain faces when seeing the natural world, and how it solves them.

To study these questions, I use computational modeling of natural image statistics, model visual observers, and models of the visual system. I am particularly interested in using probabilistic models, signal processing and geometrical tools to understand the complexity of natural visual inputs. I also have experience using psychophysics to answer questions about perceptual organization with naturalistic images.

I am also interested in the use of statistical models to analyze real world data while accounting for its complexity. Besides applying these to psychophysical data, I have worked on analyzing epidemiological data with Bayesian models during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to different publications and technical reports with real-world applicability.

Lastly, I am interested in the use of open science practices to make research more transparent, reproducible and accessible.

Teaching

I have held teaching positions at UdelaR uninterruptedly from 2013 to 2022, starting when I was an undergraduate student.

I have TAed, lectured, and participated in designing courses in the fields of biochemistry, neuroscience, statistics and machine learning, at both the undergraduate and graduate level. I have also mentored undergraduate students in year-long research projects.

I am passionate about teaching, and while I am not currently teaching during my postdoc, I am always looking for opportunities to teach and mentor students.

Personal interests

Outside of research, some of my favorite activities are surfing, being outdoors, playing music and reading. Also visiting my home country, Uruguay, a hidden gem in South America where I learned to do science.

Uruguay in the America invertida painting by Joaquín Torres-García

My best wave yet