Neurosciences (MSc/PhD/MD-PhD)

John Tukker

EDUCATION

College / University

University of Pennsylvania, USA
Monash University, Australia
Utrecht University, The Netherlands

Highest Degree

Master of Science equivalent

Major Subjects

Cognitive Artificial Intelligence, Neuroscience
tukker

Country

The Netherlands

Projects / Research

  • 2004: Vesicle recycling in hippocampal neurons. Dr. J. Klingauf, Dept. of Membrane Biophysics, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
  • 2002-2004: Direction selectivity in the starburst amacrine cell. Dr. R.G. Smith, Dept. of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, USA
  • 2001: Simulating motion detection: a bilocal model. Master thesis, Dr. M.J.M. Lankheet, Dept. of Comparative Physiology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
  • Role of Morphology in Direction Selectivity in the Starburst Amacrine Cell (2003) R.G. Smith, J.J. Tukker, R.W. Taylor. ARVO Meeting Abstracts 44:4130
  • Direction Selectivity in a Model of the Starburst Amacrine Cell (2004) J.J. Tukker, R.W. Taylor, R.G. Smith. Visual Neuroscience 21:4:611-625

Scholarships / Awards

2004 – 2005: Stipend by the International Max Planck Research School
2001: Trajectum scholarship

SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS AND GOALS

I am fascinated by the question of how simple elements can be combined to produce complex higher-level behavior. Applied to neuroscience: how is a network of neurons able to perform computations? More specifically, I am interested in how the often highly specific properties of neurons help networks to carry out their task. To this end, I would like to combine empirical investigation of neuronal properties with computational modeling approaches.