Expertise

Topics:  Cognitive Neuroscience, Cognitive Science, Computational, Perception

Industries: Biotechnology

Michael Tarr is an expert in visual perception and how the brain transforms 2D images into high-level percepts. His work focuses on face, object and scene processing and recognition in both biological and artificial systems. Tarr studies the neural, cognitive and computational mechanisms underlying visual perception and cognition. He is interested in how humans effortlessly perceive, learn, remember and identify faces, scenes and objects, as well as how these visual processes interact with our other senses, thoughts and emotions. He also is interested in the connection between biological and artificial intelligence, in particular, focusing on how high-performing computer vision systems can be used to better understand human behavior and its neural basis. Conversely, he holds that effective models of biological vision will help inform and improve the performance of artificial vision systems.

Media Experience

CMU startup Neon honored by World Economic Forum  — The Business Journals
Neon was co-founded by Michael Tarr, head of the Psychology Department in CMU's Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Science, and Sophie Lebrecht, who received her postdoctoral training at CMU.