معرفی
Franco Lepore is a Full Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Montreal and Director of the Centre de recherche en neuropsychologie et cognition (CERNEC). His research focuses on sensory systems, brain plasticity, and cognitive neuroscience, particularly studying visual and auditory processing in individuals with sensory deprivation. He has held the Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience since 2008 and leads a team of 40 researchers.
Education: PhD in Psychology (1971, University of Montreal), postdoctoral training at the University of Pisa. He established CERNEC in 1988, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities like a magnetoencephalography system.
Research Interests: Investigates how sensory deprivation (blindness/deafness) induces brain reorganization, cross-modal plasticity, and emotional processing in the insula. Key studies include superior sound localization in the blind and neural mechanisms underlying blindsight.
Awards: Ordre national du Québec (2009), Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (1988), Richard Tees Leadership Award (2005), and numerous grants from Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Fonds de recherche du Québec.
Advising & Grants: Supervised over 70 graduate students and secured millions in funding for projects on sensory systems, cochlear implants, and video game impacts on hippocampal integrity. Leads major networks like Réseau de recherche en santé de la vision (RRSV).
Labs/Teams: Directs CERNEC labs with advanced neuroimaging tools (fMRI, MEG) and collaborates with institutions like the Montreal Neurological Institute. Research spans clinical applications, developmental neurobiology, and cognitive rehabilitation.