Washington and Lee University
Johathan Erickson earned his Bachelor of Science degree in physics at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California. He then studied aeronautics and received his Master's degree at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, followed by a PhD in bioengineering. For the past 2 years he has been a postdoctoral research fellow in the departments of Physics and Surgery at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.
His recent research has included developing a novel device, the "neurochip," which interfaces cultured neural networks with a computer and overcomes the limitations inherent to conventional techniques for studying these networks. The micromachined device consists of an array of neurocages which mechanically trap a neuron near an extracellular electrode. While the cell body is trapped, the axon and dendrites can freely grow into the surrounding area to form a functional network.
