Dr. Purcell is an internationally recognized cognitive neuroscientist with dozens of publications. He has worked to develop novel statistical approaches for indexing and tracking the integrity of functional systems in the brain using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). He has two current research tracks.

One track is to understand how the brain encodes and retrieves long-term memories, particularly within the context of written language, i.e., reading and spelling. He has worked to develop a novel computational approach to index experience dependent features of written word representations.

The other track is to better understand indicators of cognitive and neurofunctional health across the lifespan. He has specifically worked to examine how the functional integrity of local neural systems improves with exercise in older age.  

Dr. Purcell also has a keen interest in cognitive neuroscience mentorship including undergraduates and graduate students. He is also interested in interactive pedagogy. He has worked to develop innovative pedagogy materials that are used in introduction and advanced neuroscience courses. He is also involved in a unique experience teaching cognitive neuroscience to Tibetan Monastics.

Dr. Purcell welcomes researchers and potential mentees to reach out to him to discuss future mentorship and collaborative efforts.