[1][2] He is the head of a team of researchers who study the neurobiology of vocal learning, a critical behavioral substrate for spoken language.

[7] Jarvis credits his family, and primarily his father's mind and enthusiasm for science, for his interest in biology.

Jarvis turned down an Alvin Ailey American Dance theater audition to study at Hunter College, where he received a B.A.

[9] He continued his education at Rockefeller University, earning a Ph.D. in Animal Behavior and Molecular Neurobehavior under Fernando Nottebohm in 1995.

[citation needed] His research identifies the neurological basis of birdsong at the tissue, cellular and genetic levels.