Sotirios Masmanidis

Sotirios Masmanidis is a Professor of Neurobiology at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine. His research focuses on the neural basis of learning and movement, particularly in health and disease contexts such as Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease.

Education:

• BS in Physics from University College London (2001)
• PhD in Applied Physics from California Institute of Technology (2007)

His work investigates reward learning, gait, dopamine signaling, and neural dynamics. He employs advanced technologies like optogenetics and nanofabricated neural probes to explore striatal and cortical circuits.

Recent publications highlight his contributions to understanding dopamine’s role in striatal dynamics, time encoding in neural circuits, and gait impairments in Parkinson’s models. His research spans neuroscience, neurology, and biomedical engineering.

Scientific Honors:

• Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship (2014)
• McKnight Foundation Technical Innovations in Neuroscience Award (2014)
• Broad Fellowship in Brain Circuitry (2006-2011)

He leads the Masmanidis Lab, which develops tools for high-throughput neural recording and investigates the neurobiological mechanisms of reward-guided movement and timing.