Joy Ortega

Background

About Joy Ortega

I obtained my PhD in Quantitative Biosciences from the School of Biological Sciences at Georgia Institute of Technology and was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. My dissertation research focuses on how brains encode movement and coordinate muscles, specifically highlighting the necessary role of the precise timing of action potentials for enabling robust, agile locomotion. Additionally, I was a Sam Nunn Security Program Fellow through the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at GT, focusing on the national security and policy issues surrounding dual-use neurotechnologies like brain-machine interfaces. I leverage my undergraduate liberal arts background to consider the broad implications of neuroscience and biology for innovation, policy, and culture. I am passionate about communicating dense, technical research to a broader audience.