During his PhD, Tim studied the underlying and complex structure of birdsong using machine learning techniques to understand more about human language and how we communicate with each other.

As a Schmidt Science Fellow, Tim pivoted into systems biology to explore more broad biological blocks of complex natural behavior. He plans to develop a repertoire of the atomic units of behavior and find ways to represent how those units are employed in complex environments to uncover patterns in how animals interact with their environment. Under this framework, Tim is exploring the brain mechanisms used to control the syntax of our behavior.

Tim aims to explore how intelligent behaviors are selected in complex environments to further our understanding of human behavior and inform better AI algorithms.