Earl K. Miller

Earl K. Miller

Earl K. Miller is the Picower Professor of Neuroscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has faculty positions in The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. He holds degrees from Kent State University (B.A.) and Princeton University (M.A., Ph.D.) as well as an honorary Doctor of Science from Kent State University.

Professor Miller’s lab investigates the neural mechanisms underlying cognition and consciousness, with a focus on working memory, attention, and executive brain functions. Key contributions include a theory of executive “top-down” control based on prefrontal cortex rule learning and goal maintenance, the discovery of multifunctional “mixed selectivity” neurons, and studies linking brainwave dynamics to cognition and consciousness. The work combines experimental and computational approaches to advance understanding of both healthy cognition and disorders such as autism and schizophrenia.

Professor Miller has received numerous accolades and serves on advisory boards as well as editorial boards for major neuroscience journals. His 2001 paper with Jonathan Cohen describing a theory of executive control is one of the most cited in the history of neuroscience. Professor Miller has funded the Earl K. Miller First Generation Scholarship at Kent State University to support disadvantaged first-generation college students.

PDF of Earl K. Miller’s Short Biography

Full CV available here
Wiki page / Google Scholar profile/ ResearchGate profile

Earl K. Miller, Ph.D.

Education

1990Ph.D. in Psychology and Neuroscience
Princeton University
1987M.A. in Psychology and Neuroscience
Princeton University
1985B.A. summa cum laude with honors in Psychology
Kent State University

Current Positions


1995
Picower Professor of Neuroscience
The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory
and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2014Co-founder and Chief Scientist
SplitSage
2023 Co-founder
Neuroblox

Awards and Honors

2025 Excellence in Graduate Mentoring, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT
2020 Doctor of Science (honoris causa), Kent State University
2019George A. Miller Prize in Cognitive Neuroscience
2018Excellence in Graduate Teaching, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT
2017Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2017Miller and Cohen (2001) identified as the 5th most-cited paper in Neuroscience
2017Paul and Lilah Newton Brain Science Award
2016Goldman-Rakic Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Cognitive Neuroscience
2016Commencement Address
Kent State University
2016Elected to the Memory Disorders Research Society
2015Professional Achievement Award, Kent State University Alumni Association
2014Amar G. Bose Research Fellow
2015Antzoulatos and Miller (2014) selected as one of Neuron’s best papers of 2014-2015
2013Distinguished Member, National Society of Collegiate Scholars
2010MERIT Award, National Institute of Mental Health
2008Miller and Cohen (2001) designated a Current Classic by Thomson Scientific
2007Mathilde Solowey Award in the Neurosciences
2006Elected to the International Neuropsychological Symposium
2005Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
2003Picower Professorship (endowed chair)
2002Elected to the International Society for Behavioral Neuroscience
2000Society for Neuroscience Young Investigator Award
2000National Academy of Sciences Troland Research Award
1999Tenured at MIT two years ahead of schedule
1999Class of 1956 Career Development Professorship (endowed chair)
1998John Merck Scholar Award
1996Pew Scholar Award
1996McKnight Scholar Award
1996Whitehall Foundation Fellowship
1996Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow
1985Graduated summa cum laude with honors, Kent State University
1985Phi Beta Kappa


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Connections

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