Faculty Profiles

Tim Gardner

Tim Gardner

Assistant Professor of Biology

PhD. Rockefeller University, 2003
Areas of interest: Neural circuits, vocal learning, time-frequency analysis, brain-machine interfaces
timothyg(at) bu.edu
(347) 683-7642

http://people.bu.edu/timothyg

Current Research

The Gardner lab studies the mechanisms of temporal sequence perception and production, focussing on vocal learning in songbirds.

The song circuit produces stereotyped structure over a range of time-scales from milliseconds to tens of seconds. We ask how complex songs are assembled from elementary neural units. What are the relationships between patterns of neural activity on different time-scales?

The lab also studies information processing in auditory cortex, examining how auditory signals are transformed as they move from low to high level sensory areas. How are memories for temporal patterns formed?

To address these questions, we develop minimally invasive electrodes that provide stable neural recordings in behaving animals. We also develop high-resolution signal processing algorithms for auditory and neural time-series.

Courses Taught

  • BI502 Topics in the Theory of Biological Networks
  • BI644/BI444/ NE444 Neuroethology

Selected Publications

  • Lim Y, BG Shinn-Cunningham, Gardner TJ. (2012). Sparse Contour Representations of Sound. IEEE Signal Processing Letters, 2012;19(10) 684-687.
  • Poole B, Markowitz JE, Gardner TJ. (2012). The Song Must Go On: Resilience of the Songbird Vocal Motor Pathway. PLoS ONE 7(6): e38173.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0038173
  • Scott BB, Gardner TJ, Ji N, Fee MS, Lois C. (2012). Wandering neuronal migration in the postnatal vertebrate forebrain. Journal of Neuroscience, 32(4), 1436–1446.
  • Lim Y, Shinn-Cunningham BG, Gardner TJ. (2011). Contour representations of sound. Proceedings of the 2011 IEEE Workshop on Applications of Signal Processing to Audio and Acoustics, New Paltz, NY, 16-19 October.
  • Ölveczky BP, Gardner TJ. (2011). A bird's eye view of neural circuit formation. Current Opinion in Neurobiology. 2011;21(1):124–131.
  • Gardner TJ, Magnasco, MO. 2006. Sparse time-frequency representations. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 103,
    6094-6099.
  • Gardner TJ, Naef F, Nottebohm F. 2005. Freedom and rules: the acquisition and reprogramming of a
    bird's learned song. Science 308, 1046-9.
  • Gardner TJ, Magnasco, MO. 2005. Instantaneous frequency decomposition: An application to
    spectrally sparse sounds with fast frequency modulations. J.Acoust. Soc. Am. 117, 2896-2903.

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