معرفی
Monica Baciu is a University Professor at the University of Grenoble Alpes, holding a dual role as a Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and a part-time Hospital Practitioner in Neurology at CHU Grenoble Alpes. She serves as the Scientific Director of the LabEx CerCoG Brain and Cognition program at UGA IDEX. Previously, she directed the Laboratory of Psychology and Neurocognition (LPNC UMR CNRS 5105) from 2012 to 2020 and has held various leadership positions in interdisciplinary research programs focused on cognition and neurodegeneration.
Dr. Baciu earned her medical degree from Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj, Romania in 1990, followed by neurology residency until 1995. She obtained her PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from Joseph Fourier University (now University of Grenoble Alpes) in 1999. After serving as a Lecturer in Cognitive Psychology, she was recruited as a University Professor in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Grenoble Alpes in 2004. She completed her Habilitation to Direct Research (HDR) in 2002 and gained international research experience as an associate researcher at Washington University in St. Louis from 2003-2007.
Her research focuses on neurocognitive and integrative models of language and memory in both healthy individuals (particularly in aging) and patients with neurological pathologies including drug-resistant focal epilepsy, Rasmussen's encephalitis, stroke, and neurodegenerative diseases. Her work employs a multidisciplinary approach combining cognitive and computational neuroscience, cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, neuroimaging, and statistical modeling techniques. Recent projects include VARIAGING (modeling cognitive and neuro-computational aging), SEMO (sensorimotor integration for speech rehabilitation in aphasia), and HALF-BRAIN RASMUSSEN (neuroplasticity in Rasmussen's encephalitis).
Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on language reorganization after hemispherectomy, particularly in Rasmussen's encephalitis patients, with significant contributions to understanding cognitive interactions and structural signatures of neural adaptation. Her work also examines language processing in aging brains, exploring compensatory pathways and connectivity changes. Additional research areas include cognitive flexibility in autism spectrum disorders, white matter dynamics in midlife, and multifactorial influences on language recovery after stroke.
- 2023: Prix du mérite at OHBM Conference in Montreal
- 2019: Editor's Choice Award in Epileptic Disorders
- 2016: Award from French Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
- 2008: Editor's Choice Award in Human Brain Mapping
- 2010-2020: Scientific Excellence Prize from IUF
- 2013: National Order of Merit
- 2015: Legion of Honor
Dr. Baciu currently supervises multiple doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers, including Nicolas Grivel (2025-2028), Clément Guichet (2022-2025), and Taisha Donnelly (2023-2026), with research funded by GraduateSchool@UGA, MITI CNRS, and MENRT. Her work has been supported by various grants including those from LFCE (French League Against Epilepsy), Institut Carnot Cognition, and IRGA University Grenoble Alpes. She leads the LabEx CerCoG program with 400 members across Grenoble research teams focused on brain and cognition, with five experimental platforms.
As Director of the Laboratory of Psychology and Neurocognition (2013-2020) and current Scientific Director of LabEx CerCoG, she oversees extensive research infrastructure. Her team within LPNC focuses on language processing, with specialized expertise in neuroimaging, cognitive assessment, and computational modeling. The interdisciplinary nature of her work connects researchers across medicine, psychology, computer science, and rehabilitation sciences, creating a robust collaborative environment for studying brain-cognition relationships.
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