2023 – present
Senior Lecturer in Psychology and Hearing
Department of Psychology
Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK
Focus: EEG tracking of sound, auditory learning through active experience
2021 – 2023
ELSC-SWC Postdoctoral Fellow
Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences
Ahissar Lab for Human Perceptual and Cognitive Learning
Focus: EEG encoding of auditory perceptual biases in controls and autistics
2018
Neuromorphic Engineering Workshop, Telluride, CO
Focus: Continuous neural decoding of stimuli from time-locked responses, examining the neural encoding of musical tension
2018 – 2021
Research Fellow
Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering
Lalor Lab for Computational Cognitive Neurophysiology
Focus: Neural decoding of rhythm in speech and music using electroencephalography
2016 – 2018
Postdoctoral Associate
University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Lalor Lab for Computational Cognitive Neurophysiology
2011 – 2016
Harvard—Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge MA
PhD, Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology
Advisor: Bertrand Delgutte
Thesis: “Neural coding of time-varying interaural time differences and its relation to perception”
2006 – 2011
University of Rochester, Rochester NY
BS, Biomedical Engineering
Minor, Mathematics
Take Five Scholarship, “Music: Science and Composition”
Ahmed F, Nidiffer AR, O'Sullivan AE, Zuk NJ, Lalor EC (2023). The integration of continuous audio and visual speech in a cocktail-party environment depends on attention. NeuroImage, 274:120143. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120143
Broderick MP, Zuk NJ, Anderson AJ, Lalor EC (2022). More than words: neurophysiological correlates of semantic dissimilarity depend on comprehension of the speech narrative. Eur J Neurosci, doi: 10.1111/ejn.15805
Zuk NJ, Murphy JW, Reilly RB, Lalor EC (2021). Envelope reconstruction of speech and music highlights stronger tracking of speech at low frequencies. PLOS Comput Biol, 17(9):e1009358. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009358
Crosse MJ, Zuk NJ, Di Liberto GM, Nidiffer AR, Molholm S, Lalor EC (2021). Linear modeling of neurophysiological responses to naturalistic stimuli: methodological considerations for applied research. Front Neurosci, 15:705621. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2021.705621
Zuk NJ, Teoh ES, Lalor EC (2020). EEG-based classification of natural sounds reveals specialized responses to speech and music. NeuroImage, 210:116558. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116558
Zuk NJ, Delgutte B (2019). Neural coding and perception of auditory motion direction based on interaural time differences. J Neurophysiol, 122(4):1821-1842. doi: 10.1152/jn.00081.2019
Zuk NJ, Carney LH, Lalor EC (2018). Preferred tempo and low-audio-frequency bias emerge from simulated sub-cortical processing of sounds with a musical beat. Front Neurosci 12:349. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00349
Zuk N, Delgutte B (2017). Neural coding of time-varying interaural time differences and time-varying amplitude in the inferior colliculus. J Neurophysiol, 118(1):544-563. doi: 10.1152/jn.00797.2016
Zuk NJ, Weiss Y, Akrami A, Ahissar M (2023). Response to external feedback is reduced in participants with ASD. Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience, 24-27 August, Oxford, United Kingdom. doi: 10.32470/CCN.2023.1226-0
Zuk NJ, Di Liberto GL, Lalor EC (2019). Linear-nonlinear Bernoulli modeling for quantifying temporal coding of phonemes in continuous speech. Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience, 13-16 September, Berlin, Germany. doi: 10.32470/CCN.2019.1192-0
Zuk N, Weiss Y, Akrami A, Ahissar, M. Response to internal and external feedback is reduced in participants with ASD. Poster session at: Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience, 2023 August 24-27, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Zuk N, Bianco R, Milne A, Chait M. Predictable pitch improves listeners' ability to track patterns in other acoustic features within rapidly unfolding sound sequences. Poster session and poster blitz at: Interdisciplinary Advances in Statistical Learning, 2022 June 1-3, Donostia/San Sebastian, Spain.
Zuk N, Granot S, Ahissar M. Joint decorrelation of EEG to isolate neural responses in controls and subjects with autism during passive listening and active auditory engagement. Poster session at: The 9th Israeli Conference on Cognition Research, 2022 Feb 16-17, Online.
Zuk N, Murphy J, Reilly R, Lalor E. Frequency-constrained envelope reconstruction of speech and music with electroencephalography highlights unique tracking of speech at low frequencies. The Association for Research in Otolaryngology Midwinter Meeting, 2021 Feb 21, Online. Conference presentation.
Zuk N, Di Liberto GL, Lalor EC. Linear-nonlinear Bernoulli modeling for quantifying temporal coding of phonemes in continuous speech. Poster session at: Auditory EEG Signal Processing, 2019 September 16-18; Leuven, Belgium.
Zuk N, Teoh E, Lalor E. Specialized high-level processing of speech and music sounds revealed with EEG. Poster session at: Society for Music Perception and Cognition Conference 2019 Aug 5-7; New York City, NY, USA.
Zuk N, Teoh E, Lalor E. Specialized high-level processing of speech and music sounds revealed with EEG. Poster session at: The Association for Research in Otolaryngology Midwinter Meeting 2019 Feb 9-13; Baltimore, MD, USA.
Zuk N, Murphy J, Lalor E. Nonlinear EEG decomposition reveals distinct neural processes that track speech and music. Poster session at: Attention to Sound 2018 Nov 14-15; Newport Pagnell, UK.
Zuk N, Murphy J, Lalor E. Distinct temporal processing schemes for speech and music. Poster session at: Society for Neuroscience Meeting 2017 Nov 11-15; Washington, DC, USA.
Zuk N, Lalor E. Assessing musical beat perception using simulated auditory nerve and midbrain activity. Poster session at: Advances and Perspectives in Auditory Neuroscience 2017 Nov 10; Washington, DC, USA.
Zuk N, Murphy J, Lalor E. Distinct temporal processing schemes for speech and music. Poster session at: International Conference on Auditory Cortex 2017 Sept 10-15; Banff, Alberta, Canada.
Zuk N. Assessing musical beat perception based on simulated low-level neural activity. New England Sequencing and Timing, 2017 March 25; Storrs, CT, USA. Conference presentation.
Zuk N. Neural coding of time-varying interaural differences (ITD) in the inferior colliculus: relation to human performance in motion direction identification and binaural gap detection. The Association for Research in Otolaryngology Midwinter Meeting, 2017 Feb 11-15, Baltimore, MD, USA. Conference presentation.
Zuk N. Neural coding of motion direction and "binaural gaps" in the inferior colliculus. Binaural Bash, 2016 Nov 18; Boston, MA, USA. Conference presentation.
Zuk N. Rate and temporal coding of time-varying ITDs in the inferior colliculus. Binaural Bash, 2015 Oct 30; Boston, MA, USA. Conference presentation.
Zuk N, Delgutte B. Rate and temporal coding of dynamic ITD and amplitude modulation in the inferior colliculus may explain differences in psychophysical detection limits. Poster session at: Society for Neuroscience Meeting & Advances and Perspectives in Auditory Neuroscience, 2015 Oct 16-21; Chicago, IL, USA.
Zuk N, Delgutte B. Is the neural coding of dynamic interaural time differences related to the coding of amplitude modulation? Poster session at: The Association for Research in Otolaryngology Midwinter Meeting, 2014 Feb 22-26; San Diego, CA, USA.
Zuk N, Seidman SH, Carney LH, Schiavenato M. Pain Assessment of Neonates Using an Automated Signal Analysis Device. Poster session at: Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Meeting, 2009 Oct 7-10; Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
ARO MidWinter Meeting Virtual Travel Award, 2021
ELSC-SWC Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2021
Graduate Student Council Travel Grant at MIT, 2015
Amelia-Peabody Scholarship at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear, 2014
Association for Research in Otolaryngology Graduate Student / Postdoctoral Fellow Travel Award, 2014
Take Five Scholar at the University of Rochester, 2011
Alpha Eta Mu Beta (National Biomedical Engineering Honor Society), 2010
Tau Beta Pi (Engineering Honor Society), 2010
National Society of Collegiate Scholars, 2010
Australia's Student Mobility Scholarship, 2009
“Here Hear!: What's going on in the ear?” — Lecturer, SPLASH!, MIT Educational Studies Program, 2015
“Second Order Systems, bootcamp session” — Lecturer, Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, Harvard, 2015
“Acoustics” — Teaching Assistant, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Dept., MIT, 2013
“General Chemistry” — Teaching Assistant, Chemistry Dept., University of Rochester, 2007-2008
Student-Postdoctoral Chapter Steering Committee, Association for Research in Otolaryngology, 2015-2018
Website Committee, Association for Research in Otolaryngology, 2014-2017
2015 MIT Mystery Hunt, puzzles: A Short Transmission, Frequency Distribution Tank, Be A Star!, Encephalon, Follow the Bees!, Time & Place
Sounds to See, MIT + K12 initiative, 2013