Helen N. Schwerdt

Helen N. Schwerdt is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh, affiliated with the Swanson School of Engineering and the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition (CNBC). Her research focuses on developing implantable tools for probing electrical and chemical neural activity, with a particular emphasis on long-term monitoring in both rodents and primates. Key areas include dopamine signaling in Parkinson’s disease, neural interface design, and chronic neural recording systems.

Her lab’s work spans interdisciplinary fields such as bioengineering, materials science, and neuroscience. Notable contributions include scalable carbon fiber electrode arrays for neurochemical monitoring and wireless passive neurorecording systems. Schwerdt’s team collaborates extensively, addressing challenges in neural prosthetics and translational neuroscience.

Recent research highlights include the 2023 publication on rodent neurochemical arrays and 2020 studies on dopamine and motor control in primates. The lab actively recruits students and postdoctoral researchers across disciplines, emphasizing training in microfabrication, electrophysiology, and computational neuroscience.