Michael Schmid

Prof. Michael Schmid is the Chair in Systems Neuroscience at Newcastle University's Institute of Neuroscience, leading the Schmid Lab. Previously, he held the position of Emmy Noether Group Leader at the Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience in Frankfurt until 2017. His research focuses on neural circuit operations in the visual system, including thalamocortical interactions during attentive vision, rhythmic neuronal activity, and mechanisms of brain plasticity after injury. He also explores pre-clinical applications like optogenetics-based cortical prosthetics for blindness and visual processing alterations in developmental dyslexia.

Key achievements include securing an ERC Starting Grant in 2015 and pioneering work on optogenetic targeting and neuroimaging in non-human primates. His lab employs advanced techniques such as optogenetics, electrophysiology, and fMRI to study spatial navigation, neural circuit dynamics, and sensory restoration. Notable publications span high-impact journals like Neuron, Nature, and Current Biology.

• Lab Members: Includes postdocs (e.g., Dr. Michael Ortiz-Rios, Dr. Samy Rima), PhD students (e.g., Beshoy Agayby, Tenri Prasakti Fanyiwi), and lab manager Dr. Marcus Haag.
• Alumni: Former students include Dr. Carsten Klein, Dr. Joscha Schmiedt, and Dr. Katharine Shapcott, among others.
• Grants: Active ERC Starting Grant supporting research on perceptual brain circuits.

Research highlights include identifying functional thalamocortical pathways, elucidating beta oscillation dynamics post-lesion, and developing MRI-compatible implants for primate studies. Ongoing projects aim to map entorhinal-hippocampal circuits and improve neuroprosthetic strategies for vision restoration.