Colin Hoy is a neuroscientist working as a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Neurology Department of the University of California, San Francisco, where he studies the neural basis of self-control and decision-making to understand cognitive and emotional symptoms in neuropsychiatric disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease and depression. His neuroscience research combines computational models of behavior with brain recordings and stimulation from implanted neural devices to identify and modulate the neural circuits and signals that help control behavior in pursuit of goals. Colin’s long-term goal is to develop neurostimulation therapies to improve mental health across many neuropsychiatric conditions. Given the risks of technology that can change how people think and feel, Colin also studies neuroethics to understand the clinical, ethical, and societal implications of advances in neuroscience and neurotechnologies for patients, families, clinicians, and the broader public.
Colin graduated in 2012 from Hendrix College with a BA in Neuroscience before spending two years as a postbaccalaureate researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health working on functional MRI methods. In 2021, he graduated from UC Berkeley with a PhD in Neuroscience after studying cognitive control using non-invasive and invasive brain recordings. He Joins the Kavli Center as an affiliate fellow to explore ethical questions raised by using neurotechnology to intervene in cognitive and emotional processes that shape an individual’s sense of self, and to build capacity for communicating complex neuroscientific concepts in support of truly informed decision-making.
