Michael Economo

Michael N. Economo, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Boston University. His research focuses on neural circuits controlling movement, leveraging cutting-edge optical, electrophysiological, and genetic tools. He holds affiliations with Neuroscience & Neuroengineering and Photonics & Optical Systems programs.

Education: PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University, B.S. Biomedical Engineering and B.A. Mathematics from Duke University.

Research Interests: Systems neuroscience, motor control, long-range neural circuits, computational neuroscience, neurotechnology. His lab investigates how neural circuits across brain regions coordinate movement using advanced techniques like optogenetics, in vivo imaging, and transcriptomics.

• Key Projects: Orofacial motor control, voltage imaging with TICO microscopy, neural circuit dissection.
• Technologies: Neuropixels probes, fluorescent voltage indicators, single-cell RNA sequencing.

Notable Awards: NSF CAREER (2023), Scialog Fellow (2023), Whitehall Foundation Young Investigator Award (2021).

Advising & Grants: Supervises graduate students (e.g., Munib Hasnain, Jackie Birnbaum) and postdocs (e.g., Vicky Moya, Yujin Han). Lab members focus on motor planning, neuromodulation, and neural dynamics.

Labs/Teams: The Economo Lab collaborates on neurotechnology development and integrates interdisciplinary approaches from engineering and biology. Affiliated with BU’s Graduate Program in Neuroscience.