Ed Boyden

Ed Boyden is a Professor in the Departments of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Media Arts and Sciences, and Biological Engineering at MIT. He holds the Y. Eva Tan Professorship in Neurotechnology at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research and is an HHMI Investigator. His research focuses on developing transformative neurotechnologies, including expansion microscopy, optogenetics, and noninvasive brain stimulation methods. These tools aim to map brain circuits, study neural dynamics, and address neurological disorders.

Boyden earned undergraduate degrees in Physics and Electrical Engineering from MIT and a PhD in Neurosciences from Stanford University. His work bridges engineering, biology, and computation, with applications in understanding brain function and developing therapies. He teaches courses such as 20.203 and 20.309, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches.

Research Interests: His lab explores brain mapping, synthetic biology for neural imaging, and clinical neurotechnology. Key projects include expansion microscopy for nanoscale tissue imaging and gamma frequency stimulation for neurodegenerative disease treatment. Tools developed are freely shared to accelerate scientific progress.

Labs/Teams: Head of the Synthetic Neurobiology Group at MIT, focusing on creating novel tools for neuroscience research and clinical translation.