Amir Shmuel

Amir Shmuel is a Professor at McGill University's Faculty of Medicine, holding appointments in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and Department of Physiology. He serves as Director of the Brain Imaging Signals Lab and Core Faculty at the McConnell Brain Imaging Centre of the Montreal Neurological Institute. His leadership includes chairing the 2018 International Society for Brain Connectivity conference and securing an $18.7M Canada Foundation for Innovation grant for Quebec's first large-bore 7 Tesla MRI scanner.

Dr. Shmuel's research focuses on understanding neuronal mechanisms underlying functional brain imaging signals and visual information processing. His integrative approach combines fMRI, optical imaging, multi-channel neurophysiological recordings, and optogenetics across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Current research priorities include resting-state functional connectivity mechanisms, cortical lamina-resolved neurophysiology, and computational modeling of brain signals. His lab emphasizes parallel model development with experimental data acquisition.

Recent publications demonstrate strong trends in multimodal neuroimaging integration, with emphasis on high-resolution fMRI techniques (especially 7T applications), resting-state connectivity analysis across species, and computational modeling of neurovascular coupling. Key subfields include laminar-specific activity mapping, artifact detection in medical imaging using deep learning, and cross-species functional connectivity frameworks.

Dr. Shmuel's research is currently funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the US Department of Defense. His lab maintains active collaborations through initiatives like the International Society for Brain Connectivity and the PRIME-DE database consortium.

Operating within the Brain Imaging Signals Lab at the Montreal Neurological Institute, Shmuel's team develops and applies advanced multimodal techniques including simultaneous fMRI-electrophysiology, voltage-sensitive dye imaging, and computational modeling frameworks. The lab maintains strong ties with the McConnell Brain Imaging Centre and participates in major open-science initiatives including the Tanenbaum Open Science Institute.