Randolph Helfrich

Randolph Helfrich

Principal Investigator

Yale University

Research

My research focuses on understanding the circuit and network mechanisms that underlie higher cognitive functions, using a multimodal cognitive neurophysiology approach. These functions include, but are not limited to, goal-directed attention, cognitive control, and the critical role of sleep in facilitating learning and memory. In my research group, established in 2020, we study neurophysiological markers that bridge cellular mechanisms, such as excitability and synaptic plasticity, with whole-brain network dynamics that govern goal-directed human behavior. Our approach combines intracranial human electrophysiology (iEEG/ECoG/sEEG and single unit recordings) with non-invasive imaging techniques (HD-EEG, MEG, OPM, polysomnography), as well as in-vivo electrophysiology and imaging in animal models through collaborations. In addition, I leverage my unique dual training in neurology and neuroscience to investigate specific patient cohorts with well-characterized pathologies, enabling us to assess their causal contributions to cognitive processing. My key expertise lies in advanced data analytics and statistics. I employ complex timeseries analyses, combined with non-linear, information-theoretical, machine learning, and computational modeling approaches to gain deeper insights into the underlying neuronal computations.

Education
  • Clinician-Scientist in Neurology/Epileptology, 2019 - 2025

    University Medical Center Tuebingen

  • Postdoc in Neuroscience, 2015 - 2019

    University of California, Berkeley

  • Ph.D. in Neurophysiology, 2012 - 2015

    University Medical Center Hamburg

  • Dr. med. in Cognitive Neurology, 2008 - 2013

    University Medical Center Tuebingen

  • M.D., Medical School, 2006 - 2012

    University of Tuebingen