• BA, 1970, Biology, University of California, Riverside
• Ph. D, 1975 Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz
• Postdoctoral in Neurophysiology, (1975-1976) Centre National de la, Recherche Scientifique, Marseilles, France.
• Postdoctoral in Neurophysiology, (1976-1978) University of California, San Diego

• Professor of Biology, Department of Biology and Marine Science Center, Northeastern University, Boston and East Point, Nahant, Massachusetts, 1978 - present.Tenured, 1984.
• Visiting Scholar, Institute for Non-Linear Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA Jan-July 2003
• Director, Marine Science Center, Northeastern University, East Point, Nahant, MA 1991-2001
• Alfred E. Sloan Foundation Fellow. Department of Biology, Northeastern University, 1980-1982
• NINCDS Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Prof. Allen I. Selverston, Department of Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, August, 1976 - July, 1978.
• NSF-CNRS, U. S.-France Exchange of Scientists Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Francois Clarac, Institut de Neurophysiologie et Psychophysiologie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Marseilles, France, August, 1975 - July, 1976.

• Regeneration of Locomotor Command Systems. J. Ayers, P.I. Funded by National Science Foundation Developmental Neuroscience and Science and Technology to Aid the Handicapped Programs, BNS 8406880.1984-1987
• Development of A Biological Image Processing Facility.(1990) J. Ayers, P.I. With Kenneth Sebens, Jon Witman., David Ingle, and M.P. Morse, Funded by the National Science Foundation Instrument and Instrument Development Program. (DIR-8917532)
• Improvement of Research Facilities at Marine Science Center (1990) K.P.Sebens, P.I. J. Ayers, MP.Morse, J. Witman co-investigators. Funded by the NSF Marine Facilities Program (DIR-9013164)
• Neuroethological Analysis of Lobster Feeding Using Sonar Biotelemetry (1991) J. Ayers, P.I. Funded by the NSF Neural Mechanisms of Behavior Program, 1991-1992,BNS 9021278
• Development of Multi-Channel Sonar Biotelemetry Systems for Analysis of Motor Pattern Modulation (1991-1992) J. Ayers, P.I. Donald Massa, Co-investigator. Funded by the Office of Naval Research, Biological Intelligence Program.
• Comparative Analysis of Lobster Feeding and Stomatogastric Motor Programs (1991-1993) J. Ayers (NU) Allen Selverston (USCD), Georg Heinzel (University of Bonn) co-investigators Funded by the Human Frontiers Research Program.
• Development of Lobster Feeding and Stomatogastric Motor Programs. (1992-1994) J. Ayers, P.I. Funded by the NSF Neural Mechanisms of Behavior Program. , IBN-9121224
• Development of a Biologically-based Undulatory Autonomous Submersible Robot. (1994 -1995) D. R. Blidberg, PI., Joseph Ayers, Sergei Kashin coPIs. Advanced Research Project Agency
• Joseph Ayers (PI), Donald Massa, William Vorus, Paul Zavracky, Nicol McGruer, Ranjan Mukherjee, Scott Currie. Development of Riomimefic Undulatory, and Ambulatory, Underwater Robots, DARPA-DSO Controlled Biological Systems Program. ONR Grant N00014-98-1-0381. March 1, 1998 - February 28, 2001
• Joseph Ayers (PI), Sensor Fusion Mediation of Exteroceptive Reflexes in a Surf Zone Crawler,J. Ayers, P.I. ONR Adaptive Neural Systems Program. 3/002- 3/2003.
• Ayers, J., PI (2003) Support for the Aquabiomechanisms II Conference, ONR Cognitive Neurosciences Program
• Development of Behavioral Set in the DARPA/ONR Lobster Robot. With Yong-Bin Kim , NU ECE, ONR Cognitive Neurosciences Contract N000014-04-1-286. March 15, 2004- March 14, 2005,
• Annealing Sensorimotor Reflexes in the ONR Lobster Robot. ONR Contract N000140510790 May 2005-March-2006,
• Map-based Models of Neurons for Implementation of Neurobiological Networks Operating in Real Time DARPA SBIR Phase I. Topic SB052-010 Grant 05SB2-0145 With Nikolai Rulkov, Information Systems Laboratories, Inc. San Diego, CA,
• Modeling Chaos in Sensorimotor Integration. ONR Contract N000140611037 Sept 1, 2006 - March 30, 2007,
• Controlling Undulatory Robots with Electronic Nervous Systems, DARPA SBIR Phase I. Topic SB052-010 Grant 05SB2-0145 With Nikolai Rulkov, Information Systems Laboratories, Inc. San Diego, CA.
• Massachusetts Technology Transfer Council Assessment Award, Sept, 2006, June, 2007,
• Controlling Undulatory Robots with Electronic Nervous Systems, DARPA SBIR Phase II. Topic SB052-010 Grant 05SB2-0145 With Nikolai Rulkov, Information Systems Laboratories, Inc. San Diego, CA. May, 2007-May, 2009
• Biomimetics of Passice and Active Tactile Sensing. Schlumber/Doll, May, 2008-May, 2010

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

Lobster

• Ayers, J. and W.J. Davis (1977) Neuronal control of locomotion in the lobster. I. Motor programs for forward and backward walking. J. Comp. Physiol. 115: 1-24
• Ayers, J.L. and F. Clarac (1978) Neuromuscular strategies underlying different behavioral acts in a multi-functional crustacean leg joint. J. Comp. Physiol., 128: 81-94.
• Ayers, J.L. and A.I. Selverston (1979) Monosynaptic entrainment of an endogenous pacemaker network: A cellular mechanism for von Holst's magnet effect. J. Comp. Physiol. 129: 5-17.
• Ayers, J. L. and A. I. Selverston (1984) Synaptic perturbation and entrainment of the gastric mill rhythm in the spiny lobster. Journal of Neurophysiology 51: 129 - 141.
• Breithaupt, T. and Ayers, J. (1995) Visualization and quantative analysis of underwater biological flow fields using suspended particles. Marine Behavior and Physiology, in press

Lower Vertebrates

• Ayers, J. Carpenter, G., Currie, S. and Kinch, J. (1983) Which behavior does the lamprey central motor program mediate? Science 221: 1312-1314.
• Currie, S., and Ayers, J. (1983) Regeneration of Locomotor Command Systems in the lamprey. Brain Research 279: 238-240.
• Currie, S., and Ayers, J. (1987) Plasticity of fin command system function following spinal cord transection in larval sea lampreys, Petromyzon marinus, Brain Research 415: 337-341.
• Ayers, J. (1989) Recovery of oscillator function following spinal regeneration in the sea lamprey. In: Cellular and Neuronal Oscillators. J. Jacklet, [ed]. Marcel Dekker, New York, Pp. 349-383.
• Davis, B. M, J. Ayers, L. Koran, J, Carlson, M. Anderson and S. B. Simpson (1990) Time course of regeneration of the salamander spinal cord and the recovery of swimming: HRP retrograde tracing and kinematic analysis. Experimental Neurology 108: 1-16.
• Swain, G.P., Snedeker, J.A., Ayers, J. & Selzer, M.E. (1993) The cytoarchitecture of spinal-projecting neurons in the brain of the larval sea lamprey, J. Comp. Neurol, 336: 194-210
• Swain, G. P. Ayers, J. Selzer, M.E. (1995) Metamorphosis of spinal-projecting neurons in the brain of the sea lamprey during transformation of the larva to adult. J. Comp. Neurol. 362: 453-467.

Robotics

• Ayers, J. and Crisman. J. (1992) The Lobster as a Model for an Omnidirectional Robotic Ambulation Control Architecture. In: Biological Neural Networks in Invertebrate Neuroethology and Robots., R. Beer., R. Ritzmann and T. McKenna [eds], 287-316.
• Ayers, J., Witting, J., McGruer, N., Olcott, C., Massa, D. (2000) Lobster Robots. In: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Aqua Biomechanisms. T. Wu and N, Kato, [eds]. Tokai University.
• Ayers, J., Wilbur, C., Olcott, C. (2000) Lamprey Robots. In: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Aqua Biomechanisms. T. Wu and N, Kato, [eds]. Tokai University.
• Ayers, J, Zavracky, P., McGruer, N., Massa. D., Vorus, W., Mukherjee, R. and Currie, S. (1998) A Modular Behavioral-Based Architecture for Biomimetic Autonomous Underwater Robots. In: Proc. of the Autonomous Vehicles in Mine Countermeasures Symposium. Naval Postgraduate School.
• Ayers, J., J. Witting, C. Wilbur, P. Zavracky, N. McGruer and D. Massa (2000) Biomimetic Robots for Shallow Water Mine Countermeasures. In: Proc. of the Autonomous Vehicles in Mine Countermeasures Symposium. Naval Postgraduate School.
• Ayers, J. , A. Volkovski, N. Rukov, A. Selverston, & H.D.I. Abarbanel, M. R. 2003 Building a Brain for the Lobster Robot Using Electronic Neurons. In International Conference on Non-Linear Wave Physics, pp. 3 Nizhny-Novgorad, Russia.
• Ayers, J. (2004). Architectures for Adaptive Behavior in Biomimetic Underwater Robots. Bio-mechanisms of Swimming and Flying. N. Kato, Ayers, J., Morikawa, H. Tokyo, Springer-Verlag: 171-187.
• Lee, Y. J., J. Lee., Y.B. Kim, J. Ayers , A. Volkovskii , A. Selverston , H. Abarbanel , M. Rabinovich (2004). "Low Power Real Time Electronic Neuron VLSI Design Using Subthreshold Techniques,." IEEE Circuits and Systems 4: 744-747.
• Ayers, J. (2004) Underwater Walking. Arthropod Structure and Development 33, 347-360.
• Selverston, A. I., Rabinovich, M. I., Huerta, R., Novotny, T., Levi, R., Arshavsky, Y., Volkovskii, A., Ayers, J. & Pinto, R. (2005) Biomimetic Central Pattern Generators for Robotics and Prosthetics. In ROBIO2004, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics, 1: 885 - 888. Shenyang, China.
• Ayers, J. and Davis, J. (2005) Biomimetic Robots.. Weapon Systems Technology Information Analysis Center Newsletter 5(4): 1-4.
• Ayers, J. and Davis, J. (2005) Lobster Robots. Weapon Systems Technology Information Analysis Center Newsletter 6(1): 1-5
• Ayers, J., N. Rulkov, et al. (2006). Electronic Neurons: From Biomimetic Robots to Blast Neurorehabilitation. Proc. 7th International Conference on Technology and the Mine Problem, Monterey, CA.
• Selverston, A. & Ayers, J. (2006) Oscillations and Oscillatory Behavior in Small Neural Circuits. Biological Cybernetics 95:537Ð554
• Ayers, J. and Witting, J. (2007) Biomimetic Approaches to the Control of Underwater Walking Machines. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, A, 365, 273Ð295
• J. Lee, Y. J. Lee, K. Kim, Y. B. Kim, and J. Ayers, "Low Power CMOS Adaptive Electronic Central Pattern Generator Design for a Biomimetic Robot," Neurocomputing, in press, 2007.
• Ayers, J. and N. Rulkov (2007). Controlling Biomimetic Underwater Robots with Electronic Nervous Systems. In: Bio-mechanisms of Animals in Swimming and Flying. N. Kato and S. Kamimura. Tokyo, Springer-Verlag. Pp. 295-306.
• Ayers, J., Rulkov, N., Knudsen, D., Kim, Y-B., Volkovskii, A. Selverston, A.(2010). "Controlling Underwater Robots with Electronic Nervous Systems." Applied Bionics and Biomechanics 7: 57-67.
• Blustein, D. and J. Ayers, (2010) A conserved network for control of arthropod exteroceptive optical flow reflexes during locomotion. Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence, 6226: 72-81
• Hu, J., YB. Kim, J. Ayers (2010) A Low Power 100M½ CMOS Front-End Transimpedance Amplifier for Biosensing Applications IEEE Circuits and Systems. 53: 541 - 544

Imaging

• Ayers, J. (1992) Desktop Motion Video for Scientific Image Analysis. Advanced Imaging 7: 52-55.