Curriculum Vitae

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Education

  • PhD in Neurosciences
    Stanford University
    Advisors: Prof. Daniel Yamins & Prof. Kalanit Grill-Spector
    Dissertation: A Unified Model of the Structure and Function of Primate Visual Cortex
    2016 - 2022
  • BS in Computational Neuroscience
    University of Southern California
    Minor in Computer Science, 3.99 overall GPA
    2012 - 2016

Training

  1. Stanford NeuroAI Lab (SNAIL)
    PI: Dan Yamins | Building robust, efficient, and powerful models of structure-function coupling in visual cortex
    2016 - Present
  2. Vision and Perception Neuroscience Lab (VPNL)
    PI: Kalanit Grill-Spector | Characterization of human higher visual cortex via ultra-high-resolution fMRI
    2016 - Present
  3. Image Understanding Lab (IUL)
    PI: Irving Biederman | Interrogating object representations in visual cortex and psychophysical correlates of developmental prosopagnosia
    2014 - 2016
  4. Emotion and Cognition Lab
    PI: Mara Mather | Investigating the role of the noradrenergic arousal system in aging and memory
    2013 - 2014

Publications

Peer-reviewed

  1. Rethinking the limiting dynamics of SGD: modified loss, phase space oscillations, and anomalous diffusion
    Kunin, D.*, Sagastuy-Brena, J.*, Gillespie, L., Margalit, E., Tanaka, H., Ganguli, S. and Yamins, D.L.K.
    Neural Computation
    2024
  2. Increasing neural network robustness improves match to macaque V1 eigenspectrum, spatial frequency preference and predictivity
    Kong, N.C.L., Margalit, E., Gardner, J.L. and Norcia, A.M.
    PLoS Computational Biology
    2022
  3. Ultra-high-resolution fMRI of human ventral temporal cortex reveals differential representation of categories and domains
    Margalit, E., Jamison, K.W., Weiner, K.S., Vizioli, L., Zhang, R., Kay, K.N. and Grill-Spector, K.
    Journal of Neuroscience, 40(15), 3008-3024
    2020
  4. Visual noise consisting of X-junctions has only a minimal adverse effect on object recognition
    Margalit, E., Herald, S.B., Meschke, E.X., Irawan, I., Maarek, R. and Biederman, I.
    Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics
    2019
  5. A critical assessment of data quality and venous effects in sub-millimeter fMRI
    Kay, K.N., Jamison, K., Vizioli, L., Zhang, R., Margalit, E. and Ugurbil, K.
    NeuroImage, 189, 847-869
    2019
  6. The cognitive neuroscience of person identification
    Biederman, I., Shilowich, B.E., Herald, S.B., Margalit, E., Maarek, R., Meschke, E.X. and Hacker, C.M.
    Neuropsychologia, 116B, 205-214
    2018
  7. What is actually affected by the scrambling of objects when localizing the lateral occipital complex?
    Margalit, E., Biederman, I., Tjan, B.S. and Shah, M.P.
    Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 20(9), 1595-1604
    2017
  8. An applet for the Gabor scaling of the differences between complex stimuli
    Margalit, E., Herald, S.B., Yue, X., von der Malsburg, C. and Biederman, I.
    Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics, 78(8), 2298-2306
    2016
  9. The lateral occipital complex shows no net response to object familiarity
    Margalit, E., Shah, M.P., Tjan, B.S., Biederman, I., Keller, B. and Brenner, R.
    Journal of Vision, 16(3)
    2016
  10. Neuromelanin marks the spot: Identifying a locus coeruleus biomarker of cognitive reserve in healthy aging
    Clewett, D., Lee, T.H., Greening, S.G., Ponzio, A., Margalit, E. and Mather, M.
    Neurobiology of Aging, 37, 117-126
    2016

Preprints

  1. How to optimize neuroscience data utilization and experiment design for advancing primate visual and linguistic brain models?
    Tuckute, G., Finzi, D., Margalit, E., Zylberberg, J., Chung, S., Fyshe, A., Fedorenko, E., Kriegeskorte, N., Yates, J., Grill-Spector, K. and Kar, K.
    arXiv
    2024
  2. Do Topographic Deep ANN Models of the Primate Ventral Stream Predict the Perceptual Effects of Direct IT Cortical Interventions?
    Schrimpf, M., McGrath, P., Margalit, E. and DiCarlo, J.J.
    bioRxiv
    2024
  3. A Unifying Principle for the Functional Organization of Visual Cortex
    Margalit, E., Lee, H., Finzi, D., DiCarlo, J.J., Grill-Spector, K. and Yamins, D.L.K.
    bioRxiv
    2023
  4. Extensive individual differences of category information in ventral temporal cortex in the congenitally blind
    Rosenke, M., van den Hurk, J., Margalit, E., Op de Beeck, H.P., Grill-Spector, K. and Weiner, K.S.
    bioRxiv
    2020
  5. Validation and generalization of pixel-wise relevance in convolutional neural networks trained for face classification
    Crawford, J., Margalit, E., Grill-Spector, K. and Poltoratski, S.
    arXiv
    2020
  6. Topographic deep artificial neural networks reproduce the hallmarks of the primate inferior temporal cortex face processing network
    Lee, H., Margalit, E., Jozwik, K., Cohen, M.A., Kanwisher, N.G., Yamins, D.L.K. and DiCarlo, J.J.
    bioRxiv
    2020

Awards and Honors

  1. NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Fellow
    NSF fellowship recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines
    2016 - 2021
  2. USC Trustee's Award
    Awarded to the undergraduate male with the highest GPA at the University
    2016
  3. Graduate Trainee, Stanford Mind, Brain, Computation, and Technology
    Traineeship awarded for the pursuit of multi-disciplinary research in the area of computational neuroscience
    2018
  4. USC Neuroscience Outstanding Student of the Year
    Awarded to USC's best neuroscience student with senior standing
    2016
  5. USC Brian Philip Rakusin Neuroscience Scholarship Award
    Awarded to USC's best neuroscience student with junior standing
    2015
  6. Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society
    Academic honor's society
    2015
  7. USC Discovery Scholar
    Awarded to students who excel in the classroom while demonstrating the ability to create exceptional new scholarship.
    2016
  8. USC Provost's Undergraduate Research Fellowship
    6-time recipient of award supporting exceptional undergraduate research
    2013 - 2016
  9. George H. Mayr Scholarship
    Awarded to outstanding students from California in the college of letters, arts, and sciences
    2015
  10. USC S.O.A.R. Grant
    Provides funding to Dornsife undergraduates for participation as a research assistant in a faculty member’s project
    2015
  11. USC Dean's Scholar
    Quarter tuition scholarship
    2012 - 2016

Presentations

Oral Presentations

  1. Ultra-high-resolution fMRI reveals differential representation of categories and domains across lateral and medial ventral temporal cortex
    Margalit, E., Jamison, K., Weiner, K.S., Vizioli, L., Zhang, R., Kay, K.N. and Grill-Spector, K.
    Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society (VSS)
    2019
  2. Differential representation of object category information across lateral and medial ventral temporal cortex revealed with ultra-high-resolution fMRI
    Margalit, E., Jamison, K., Weiner, K.S., Vizioli, L., Zhang, R., Kay, K.N. and Grill-Spector, K.
    Society for Neuroscience Annual Conference (SfN)
    2018

Posters

  1. Topographic deep neural networks predict the functional organization of the primate ventral visual pathway
    Margalit, E., Lee, H., DiCarlo, J.J., Grill-Spector, K. and Yamins, D.L.K.
    SfN
    2021
  2. Correlation-based spatial layout of deep neural network features generates ventral stream topography
    Margalit, E., Lee, H., Marques, T., DiCarlo, J.J. and Yamins, D.L.K.
    COSYNE
    2020
  3. Pinwheel-like Iso-Orientation Domains in a Convolutional Neural Network Model
    Margalit, E., Lee, H., DiCarlo, J.J. and Yamins, D.L.K.
    Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society (VSS)
    2018
  4. What is the nature of the perceptual deficit in congenital prosopagnosia?
    Biederman, I., Margalit, E., Maarek, R., Meschke, E.X., Shilowich, B.E., Hacker, C.M., Juarez, J.J., Seamans, T.J. and Herald, S.B.
    Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society
    2017
  5. What is actually affected by the scrambling of objects when localizing the lateral occipital complex?
    Biederman, I., Margalit, E., Tjan, B.S. and Shah, M.P.
    Annual Meeting of the Society of Experimental Psychologists
    2016
  6. Vertices are effective in perceptual grouping (and ungrouping)
    Irawan, I., Margalit, E., Herald, S.B. and Biederman, I.
    Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society
    2016
  7. Impaired face and non-face discrimination in developmental prosopagnosics (DPs)
    Margalit, E., Yue, X. and Biederman, I.
    Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society
    2016
  8. What is actually affected by the scrambling of objects when localizing LOC? (Talk)
    Biederman, I., Margalit, E., Tjan, B.S. and Shah, M.P.
    Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society
    2016
  9. Neuromelanin marks the spot: a locus coeruleus substrate of cognitive reserve in healthy aging
    Clewett, D., Lee, T.H., Greening, S.G., Ponzio, A., Margalit, E. and Mather, M.
    USC Neuroscience Graduate Student Symposium
    2015
  10. Phonagnosia, a voice homologue to prosopagnosia
    Biederman, I., Herald, S.B., Xu, X., Amir, O., Shilowich, B.E. and Margalit, E.
    Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society
    2015

Invited Talks

  1. Identifying Constraints on the Emergence of V1 Functional Architecture with CNNs
    Margalit, E.
    Simons Collaboration Global Brain Monthly Meeting
    2021

Teaching

  1. Introduction to Perception (PSYCH 30)
    Teaching Assistant
    2017-2018
  2. Stanford Intensive Neuroscience Bootcamp
    Teaching Assistant
    2017
  3. Stanford Splash
    Instructor
    2017
  4. Stanford Brain Day
    Instructor
    2017

Mentorship

  1. Rotation Student Supervisor
    2020 - Present (2x)
  2. Stanford Neuroscience Application Assistance Program (SNAAP) [2x]
    2020 - Present (2x)
  3. NSF GRFP Application Workshop Leader
    2017 - 2019 (2x)
  4. Stanford Biosciences Student Association Mentor
    2017 - Present (4x)
  5. Stanford Neurosciences PhD Program Student Mentor
    2018 - Present (3x)

Service

  1. Chair, Society for Neuroscience Nanosymposium: Extrastriate Vision
    2020
  2. Co-Leader, Stanford Computational Neuroscience Journal Club (CNJC)
    2018 - 2020
  3. Reviewer: eLife, Neuron, iScience
  4. Student Speaker Representative, Stanford Neurosciences PhD Program
    2017 - 2018
  5. Student Representative, USC Undergraduate Neuroscience Program Executive Committee
    2015 - 2016
  6. Team Captain, USC Cross Country Club
    2015 - 2016

Scientific Communication

  1. Back to Basics with Visual Feedbacks
    An accessible summary of Marques et al., 2018
  2. Nurturing the Study of Nature
    An accessible summary of Grunspan et al., 2016
  3. Paper a Week
    An all-in-one tool for taking notes on academic papers