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Marty G. Woldorff

Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Medicine & Neurosciences
Box 90999, Ctr. for Cog. Neuroscience, Durham, NC 27708-0999
B243B LSRC, Ctr. for Cog. Neuroscience, Durham, NC 27708-0999

Overview


Dr. Woldorff's main research interest is in the cognitive neuroscience of attention. At each and every moment of our lives, we are bombarded by a welter of sensory information coming at us from a myriad of directions and through our various sensory modalities -- much more than we can fully process. We must continuously select and extract the most important information from this welter of sensory inputs. How the human brain accomplishes this is one of the core challenges of modern cognitive neuroscience. Dr. Woldorff uses a combination of electrophysiological (ERP, MEG) and functional neuroimaging (fMRI) methods to study the time course, functional neuroanatomy, and mechanisms of attentional processes. This multimethodological approach is directed along several main lines of research: (1) The influence of attention on sensory and perceptual processing; (2) Cognitive and attentional control mechanisms; (3) The role of attention in multisensory environments; (4) The interactive relationship between attention and reward; and (5) The role of attention in perceptual awareness.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences · 2021 - Present Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Medicine & Neurosciences, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Professor in Neurobiology · 2008 - Present Neurobiology, Basic Science Departments
Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience · 2019 - Present Psychology & Neuroscience, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Member of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience · 1999 - Present Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences
Affiliate of the Center for Brain Imaging and Analysis · 2007 - Present Duke-UNC Center for Brain Imaging and Analysis, Institutes and Centers
Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences · 2008 - Present Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, University Institutes and Centers
Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society · 2018 - Present Duke Science & Society, Initiatives

Education, Training & Certifications


University of California, San Diego · 1989 Ph.D.
University of California, Berkeley · 1978 B.A.