Sara A. Solla

Sara A. Solla is Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, jointly with the Department of Physiology, in the Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences and Professor of Neuroscience at Feinberg School of Medicine, both at Northwestern University.

Solla's research interests lie in the application of statistical mechanics to the analysis of complex systems. Her research has led her to the study of neural networks, which are theoretical models that incorporate "fuzzy logic" and are thought to be analogous to the way the human brain stores and processes information. Her theoretical research uses tools from statistical physics, statistical inference, information theory, machine learning, and dynamical systems to investigate aspects of information processing, storage, and retrieval in the brain at the systems level, with focus on sensory and motor systems. Her work reflects her belief that physics is not a profession but an education, one that provides analytical, mathematical, and computational skills that can be successfully applied to a wide variety of problems.

Solla was a member of the Neural Networks group at Bell Laboratories before joining Northwestern. She is passionate about mentoring junior scientists and applying the tools of physics to a variety of problems. She holds a Ph.D. from University of Washington.