James Gornet
Email: jgornet [at] caltech [dot] edu
232 Annenberg Hall
PhD Candidate in Computational and Neural Systems, Caltech
James Gornet is a PhD student at Caltech (California Institute
of Technology) in Computation and Neural Systems. At Caltech,
his main research interest is understanding human
intelligence. Currently, he studies navigation as a building
block for intelligence. Language and reasoning, for example,
navigate an abstract, conceptual space. Using machine learning,
neuroscience, and differential geometry, James Gornet studies
how neural network may represent and solve these abstract
navigation problems.
Prior to Caltech, James Gornet studied at Columbia University in biomedical engineering and chemical physics under the C. P. Davis scholarship. In addition to studying at Columbia University, he performed research under Pavel Osten at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Uygar Sümbül at the Allen Institute. At Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, he studied how neuronal morphology differs across the mouse brain and cell types and how this affects neural computation. At the Allen Institute, he developed state-of-the-art algorithms for reconstructing and analyzing neuronal anatomy.
In high school, James studied models of computation for biological systems. Specifically, he studied how genetic recombination in bacteria could be formalized into both the lambda calculi and von Neumann models of computation. His research culminated being awarded semifinalist in Intel Science Talent Search, which was formerly called the Westinghouse Science Talent Search.
In his spare time, James enjoys exploring the outdoors and regularly mountain bikes and hikes around the Pasadena area. He also enjoys programming and robotics. James also runs the start-up Vibepik, which uses artificial intelligence to recommend local restaurants and activities from the user’s preferences. James Gornet is also a self-proclaimed professional Super Smash Bros. Melee player—winning a local tournament. However, his friends and family urge that his time is much better spent in artificial intelligence.