Name: Jonathan Cannon
Course: 9
Life before MIT
Before starting his postdoc in neuroscience at MIT, Jon performed postdoctoral research on homeostatic feedback mechanisms at Brandeis. He then moved on to teach math and science classes at Jamaica Plain. Although he enjoyed teaching, he missed the thrill of academic rigor and wanted to study rhythm in the brain. He worked on reconnecting with the academic community via conferences and found a position focused on metronome and rhythm research at MIT.
Research and advising
As a postdoc at MIT, Jon spent a lot of time running in-person experiments, but had to pivot to online experiments in mid-April due to Covid-19. Now, as Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at McMaster University, Jon is back in the lab, working on starting up rhythm psychophysics in his lab with the help of a few very motivated undergrads. He is advising two graduate students in computational modeling projects around the relationship between rhythm perception and movement. Working with a group at Queen Mary University in London, he recently published his second article on predictive processing and rhythm in PLOS Computational Biology. He is preparing to teach a course on computational models in neuroscience starting in January. In parallel to his work at McMaster, he has continued data analysis and manuscript work on his MIT projects.
Life outside of research
Outside of research, Jon enjoys music. He likes both playing and teaching the violin, and plays various types of world music, occasionally performing in a band. Additionally, he teaches a mixture of private and workshop violin lessons to students of all ages.
