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Research groups

Kerry Walker

DPhil, MSc, BSc


Associate Professor of Neuroscience

  • Tutorial Fellow in Medical Sciences, Exeter College

The Walker Group investigates how the brain interprets sound, from simple tones to complex, naturally occuring signals such as speech. The group aims to uncover how patterns of action potentials in auditory cortical neurons encode key features of sound, including pitch (the tonal quality of a sound); timbre (the spectral signature that distinguishes one instrument or voice from another); spatial location; and timing, which shapes the rhythm and flow of communication calls.

To address these questions, the group combines a range of experimental and computational approaches. Neuropixels microelectrodes are used to record the precise spiking responses of neurons in anaesthetised and awake, behaving animals. In vivo two-photon calcium imaging enables visualisation of the activity of large populations of neurons in real time. Together, these methods reveal how networks of neurons work together to process auditory information. Psychophysical experiments in the group explore how both humans and animals perceive sound. Finally, computational models of the auditory system are used to generate informed predictions and better conceptualize experimental results.

Dr Walker is a Tutorial Fellow in Medical Sciences at Exeter College, where she teaches Biomedical Sciences and Pre-Clinical Medicine. She also serves as Deputy Director of the Biomedical Sciences MBiomedSci degree, and as a Reviewing Editor for the Journal of Neuroscience.