Benjamin Suarez-Jimenez

Benjamin Suarez-Jimenez, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Rochester, with joint appointments in the Center for Visual Science and Department of Psychology. His research focuses on using virtual reality (VR), neuroimaging, and machine learning to understand neural mechanisms underlying PTSD and anxiety disorders. He holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Puerto Rico and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the NIMH-UCL Graduate Partnership Program. Suarez-Jimenez has been awarded over a dozen prestigious grants and awards, including NIH-funded fellowships and recognition for his contributions to diversity in neuroscience.

Education:

• Bachelor's in Psychology, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez (2009)
• Ph.D. in Neuroscience, NIMH-UCL Graduate Partnership Program (2016)

Research Interests: Suarez-Jimenez investigates how contextual threat perception and neural signatures of PTSD can inform personalized therapies. His lab develops VR paradigms to study spatial threat discrimination and employs MRI/machine learning for diagnostic biomarkers.

Awards & Grants:

• NIH K01 Grant (2018)
• ENIGMA PTSD Workgroup Mega-Analysis Lead (2024)
• Recipient of 13+ awards including BRAINS Fellowship (2019) and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Award (2022)

Labs & Teams: Director of the ZVR Lab at the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, collaborating with institutions like Columbia University and UCL. His team includes 4 PhD candidates and multiple research staff.