Dr. Cassandra Sampaio Baptista is a Lecturer at the University of Glasgow's School of Psychology & Neuroscience. Her research focuses on brain plasticity in adulthood, particularly exploring how experiences like skill learning or rehabilitation influence structural and functional changes in the brain. She employs neuroimaging techniques such as fMRI neurofeedback and MRI to investigate mechanisms of myelin and white matter plasticity. Her work emphasizes translational applications, including stroke rehabilitation and promoting healthy aging. Key contributions include demonstrating myelin's role in motor learning and developing MRI protocols for white matter analysis. She collaborates on projects funded by the BIAL Foundation (2025–2026) and has supervised multiple postgraduate students. Recent publications highlight studies on oligodendrocyte dynamics, neurofeedback interventions for stroke survivors, and cross-species neuroscience approaches. While no specific awards are listed, her extensive publication record reflects her leadership in neuroplasticity research.
Rebecca Schulman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University. She holds secondary appointments in Chemistry and Computer Science and is affiliated with multiple interdisciplinary institutes, including the Institute for NanoBioTechnology, the Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute, the Chemistry-Biology Interface Program, the Center for Cell Dynamics, and the Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics. She currently co-directs the Passport to Future Technology Leadership program for PhD students. Research Interests: Schulman's research lies at the intersection of DNA nanotechnology, synthetic biology, and smart materials. Her group develops intelligent, adaptive biomolecular materials and nanostructures by integrating concepts from materials science, biochemistry, circuit design, and soft matter physics. The team focuses on engineering dynamic self-assembly processes using DNA to create reconfigurable materials, molecular circuits, and autonomous soft micro-robots. Key themes include self-healing nanostructures, feedback-regulated crystallization, programmable hydrogels, and synthetic genetic networks for materials control. Publication Trends: Her recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on using DNA-based chemical reaction networks to program spatial and temporal behavior in materials. The work spans from fundamental mechanisms like catalytic polymerization and crystal growth regulation to applications in soft robotics, self-wiring circuits, and synthetic pattern formation. The research is highly interdisciplinary, combining synthetic biology with materials engineering to achieve life-like functionalities in non-living systems. Scientific Awards: AIMBE Fellowship Award Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship Award Hartwell Individual Biomolecular Research Award President’s Early Career Award in Science and Engineering (PECASE) DARPA Young Faculty Award DARPA Directors Fellowship NSF CAREER Award Turing Scholar Award DOE Early Career Award Advising and Grants: Schulman mentors graduate students and leads a vibrant research group focused on next-generation biomolecular engineering. Her work is supported by major federal grants, including the NSF CAREER, DOE Early Career, DARPA, and the Vannevar Bush Fellowship—a prestigious Department of Defense award for basic research. She is actively involved in training future leaders through programs like the Passport to Future Technology Leadership. Labs and Teams: The Schulman Lab at Johns Hopkins is a multidisciplinary team working on DNA-powered materials and molecular programming. The lab is embedded within several collaborative centers, enabling strong cross-departmental and cross-institutional research. Their work combines experimental biochemistry with theoretical modeling to design and implement complex molecular systems.
Jeffrey Schall is a Full Professor of Biology and Program Director of the Visual Neurophysiology Centre at York University. He holds the Canada Research Chair in Translating Neuroscience. His research focuses on neural mechanisms underlying behavior, integrating neurophysiological and computational approaches across multiple scales. Schall is a core member of the Centre for Vision Research and the Canada First Research Excellence Fund Connected Minds initiative. Education: PhD in Anatomy (University of Utah School of Medicine, 1986), postdoctoral training at MIT. Awards include the Troland Research Award, Sloan Foundation Fellowship, and AAAS Fellowship. He served as Vision Science Society President in 2019. Research interests include visual attention, executive control, error monitoring, and translational neuroscience applications in law. His work bridges basic science with applied studies in clinical populations like schizophrenia patients. Collaborative projects involve EEG/MEG analysis, cortical microcircuitry modeling, and neuromodulation techniques. Teaching: YU_NRSC 2100 Systems, Behavioral, and Cognitive Neuroscience. Active in interdisciplinary initiatives linking neuroscience with legal systems through scholarship and policy engagement.
J. Anthony Movshon is a Professor at New York University (NYU) in the Department of Psychology and a key member of NYU's Center for Neural Science (CNS). His research focuses on the primate visual system, particularly the encoding and decoding of visual information in cortical areas like V1 and MT, and its role in behavior and perception. Education: Doctorate in Visual Neurophysiology and Psychophysics from Cambridge University Research Interests: Movshon investigates the functional architecture of the visual cortex, emphasizing motion, form, and color processing. His work explores how neural activity relates to perceptual decisions and motor behavior, using electrophysiological recordings, neuroimaging, and computational models. He also studies developmental disorders like amblyopia and their impact on visual system organization. Publications: His recent work spans visual texture selectivity in V2, contextual modulation in neural responses, motion processing in MT, and decoding mechanisms in visual cortex. These studies employ interdisciplinary approaches blending neurophysiology, computational neuroscience, and cognitive modeling. Labs & Collaborations: Movshon leads the Visual Neuroscience Laboratory at NYU, collaborating with researchers such as Michael Hawken, Lynne Kiorpes, and Eero Simoncelli.
Karin Allor Pfeiffer is a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Michigan State University (MSU) and Director of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports. She holds additional membership in the Center for Physical Activity and Health. With a Ph.D. from MSU, her research focuses on physical activity measurement methodologies and population health interventions, particularly among children and adolescents. Her work addresses obesity prevention, environmental design impacts on activity levels, and sociocultural factors influencing youth sport participation. Education: Ph.D. in Kinesiology from Michigan State University Her research interests emphasize: - Quantitative methods for physical activity assessment - Schoolyard redesign strategies and their health impacts - Cardiometabolic risk factors in pediatric populations - Longitudinal tracking of physical fitness and health outcomes Recent work explores accelerometer fragmentation metrics, GPS-linked activity tracking, and disparities in sedentary behavior across demographic groups. She has pioneered interdisciplinary approaches integrating spatial analysis, wearable technology, and policy evaluation. Key contributions include developing the Observational System for Recording Physical Activity in Children and advancing consensus methods for accelerometer data interpretation. Her studies frequently highlight socioeconomic and environmental determinants of health behaviors. Dr. Pfeiffer collaborates with public health agencies and urban planners to translate research into actionable policies. Her lab focuses on scalable interventions for underserved communities, leveraging community-engaged methods to address greenspace accessibility and safety concerns.
Cristian Gómez Canela is a Full Professor in the Department of Analytical and Applied Chemistry at the School of Engineering, Ramon Llull University (IQS). He serves as Coordinator of the Master's Degree in Analytical Chemistry and is an active member of the Catalan Chemical Society (SCQ), representing SCQ in EuChems-EYCN. His academic journey includes a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Barcelona (2014), followed by postdoctoral research at IDAEA-CSIC and King's College University. Dr. Gómez Canela's research focuses on environmental analytical chemistry, particularly the optimization and validation of analytical methods based on liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) for determining organic pollutants in environmental samples. His work extends to metabolomics applied to aquatic organisms and the analysis of neurotoxic compounds in water systems. His research fingerprint reveals strong expertise in zebrafish models (100%), neurotransmitter analysis (66%), Daphnia magna studies (64%), and neurotoxicity assessment (21%). His recent publications (2024-2025) demonstrate a clear trend toward environmental neurotoxicology, with emphasis on the effects of pharmaceuticals and industrial pollutants on aquatic organisms. His work integrates advanced analytical techniques with biological endpoints to assess environmental risks, particularly focusing on neurological and cardiovascular impacts. The research spans method development for pollutant detection, environmental monitoring, and mechanistic studies of neurotoxic effects. Dr. Gómez Canela leads multiple significant research projects including CHEMIPARK (2024-2027) on passive sampling methodologies for environmental pollutants, GESPA (2022-2025) as part of the Environmental Process Engineering and Simulation Group, and several projects on neuroactive compounds in water systems. He has an impressive research output with 91 scientific publications from 2011-2025 and an h-index of 27 with over 2,000 citations. As a dedicated educator, he contributes to multiple academic programs including the Master in Analytical Chemistry, Master in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, and undergraduate degrees in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. His research group GESPA represents a multidisciplinary team combining chemical engineering, biotechnology, and chemical analysis to advance environmental sustainability through theoretical and experimental approaches.
Marc V Fuccillo is an Associate Professor of Neuroscience at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, where he leads a research laboratory focused on understanding the neural circuit mechanisms underlying behavioral control. His work bridges molecular, synaptic, and behavioral approaches to investigate how striatal circuits regulate mouse behavior from simple motor patterns to complex goal-directed actions. Fuccillo holds dual appointments in the Neuroscience and Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Groups at Penn and maintains an active laboratory investigating the synaptic and circuit basis of neuropsychiatric disorders. Education: B.A. in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Music Performance (Violin) from Brown University (1998) Ph.D. in Developmental Genetics from New York University School of Medicine (2007) M.D. from New York University School of Medicine (2008) Fuccillo's research centers on the synaptic and circuit mechanisms of behavioral control, with particular emphasis on striatal circuits. His laboratory employs a range of technologies including mouse genetics, in vitro electrophysiology, in vivo imaging, and quantitative behavioral analysis to explore how neural circuits of the striatum regulate behavior and how disruptions in these circuits contribute to neuropsychiatric disorders. His work has particularly focused on autism-associated abnormalities in behavioral control, examining how synaptic adhesion molecules like neuroligins and neurexins shape circuit function and behavior, with significant findings regarding D1 dopamine receptor positive medium spiny neurons in the nucleus accumbens. Analysis of Fuccillo's recent publications reveals a strong focus on striatal circuit function across multiple dimensions. His work spans molecular neuroscience (examining synaptic adhesion molecules), cellular physiology (studying specific neuron types in striatal circuits), systems neuroscience (mapping circuit connectivity), and behavioral neuroscience (quantifying motor learning and decision-making). A unifying theme is how disruptions in specific molecular pathways lead to circuit-level abnormalities that manifest as behavioral phenotypes relevant to neuropsychiatric disorders, with particular attention to autism, OCD, and schizophrenia models. Scientific Recognition: Publications in high-impact journals including Nature Neuroscience, Current Biology, Cell Reports, and Neuron Research supported by multiple NIH grants including NIMH F32, NIMH K01, and HHMI Gilliam Fellowship awards for lab members Fuccillo actively mentors a diverse group of trainees including postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduates. His laboratory has produced numerous successful alumni who have gone on to faculty positions, medical residencies, and graduate programs at prestigious institutions. His mentoring approach emphasizes technical skill development across multiple neuroscience disciplines while fostering independent scientific thinking. Current research in his lab is supported by NIH funding focused on understanding the molecular architecture of striatal circuits and their role in behavioral control, with three major research directions exploring molecular logic of striatal circuits, circuit mechanisms of behavioral control, and striatal dysfunction in neuropsychiatric disease models. The Fuccillo Laboratory operates within the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania, with access to state-of-the-art facilities for molecular, electrophysiological, imaging, and behavioral neuroscience research. The lab maintains active collaborations with other neuroscience research groups at Penn and beyond, creating a rich intellectual environment for studying the neural basis of behavior. Current research directions include investigating whether there is a molecular logic to striatal circuit composition, how striatal circuits shape behavioral control, and what mouse models of autism, schizophrenia, and OCD can reveal about striatal circuit dysfunction in disease pathophysiology.
Steve Chase is a Professor at Carnegie Mellon University , affiliated with the Biomedical Engineering , Electrical and Computer Engineering , Neuroscience Institute , and Robotics Institute departments. His research spans Computational Neuroscience , Neural Engineering , and Systems Neuroscience , with a focus on neural circuits, motor control, and brain-computer interfaces (BCI). Research Areas: Sensation & Perception, Methods Development, Diseases & Disorders, Physiological & Anatomical Methods. Lab Highlights: Development of the RotaWheel, memory trace studies in the motor cortex, and investigations into BCI stabilization and learning dynamics. Scientific Contributions: His lab has published extensively in journals like Neuron , Nature Computational Science , eLife , and PNAS , with notable works on neural activity patterns, dimensionality reduction in calcium imaging, and sensory constraints on motor cortex modulation. Students and postdocs in his lab have received awards, including the CNBC best paper award.
Takako Fujioka is an Associate Professor of Music at Stanford University, affiliated with the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA). Her research focuses on the neural mechanisms underlying auditory perception, auditory-motor coupling, and music-supported therapy for neurorehabilitation. She holds a Ph.D. in Physiology from the Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Japan, and M.Sc./B.Eng. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Waseda University. Her work combines neurophysiological techniques such as MEG and EEG to study brain plasticity in development, aging, and stroke recovery. Notable contributions include investigating how music influences motor and cognitive recovery in stroke patients, as well as exploring the neural basis of musical perception through rhythmic synchronization and pitch discrimination studies. Supported by awards from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research during her postdoctoral work at the Rotman Research Institute, her research bridges clinical neuroscience and music cognition. Dr. Fujioka’s expertise spans auditory neuroscience, neurorehabilitation, and technology-assisted music therapy. She has pioneered studies on tactile mapping for cochlear implant users and networked music performance systems, emphasizing cross-modal perception and human-technology interaction. Her findings contribute to both theoretical understanding of auditory processing and practical applications in medical and educational settings. Awards: Canadian Institutes of Health Research Awards (postdoctoral phase) Labs/Teams: CCRMA, Stanford Music Perception Laboratory, Rotman Research Institute collaborations Key Themes: Neuroplasticity, Music-Mediated Rehabilitation, Auditory-Motor Integration, Multisensory Processing Her recent work examines aging-related changes in binaural hearing and the role of beta/gamma oscillations in rhythmic processing. She advocates for translational research that connects neural mechanisms with real-world therapeutic interventions.
Jeff Moher is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Co-Chair of the Department of Psychology at Connecticut College, where he has been teaching since 2017. He also serves as the Data, Information, and Society Pathway Co-Coordinator, demonstrating his leadership within the institution. His educational background includes a Ph.D. and M.A. from Johns Hopkins University and a B.S. from the University of Michigan. This strong academic foundation has prepared him for his research and teaching career in cognitive psychology. Moher's research focuses on cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience, particularly visual attention and cognition in action. His work investigates why distractions occur, when they are likely to arise, and what mechanisms humans can harness to avoid them. He has found that humans employ various cognitive mechanisms to minimize distractions based on explicit knowledge, task goals, object properties, and recent experience, though he has also discovered surprising limitations in attentional selection. His research is particularly relevant given that over 3,000 people are killed annually in the United States from distracted driving. His recent publications show a consistent trajectory examining attentional mechanisms, distraction, and visual processing across different contexts. His work frequently employs sophisticated methodologies to measure both cognitive and motor responses to distractions, revealing how seemingly minor distractions can accumulate to induce serious performance costs. Moher's research is currently funded by grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, indicating the significance and quality of his work. He likely mentors numerous students through the department's research groups, contributing to their development as researchers. He directs the CAMELab (Center for Attention, Movement, and Embodied Learning), which utilizes multiple methodologies including eye-tracking, electroencephalography, three-dimensional reach-tracking, and psychophysics to approach questions about attention and distraction. Current projects in his lab explore why salient distractors cause people to give up quickly during visual search, the brain mechanisms involved in learning to ignore distractions, how internal distractions impact physical interactions with the world, and how hand movement paths reveal information about attentional processes.
Dr. Fumiya Iida is a researcher affiliated with the University of Cambridge , contributing to interdisciplinary research through Cambridge Reproduction and the Department of Engineering . His work spans bio-inspired robotics , soft robotics , and embodied intelligence , with a focus on biomechanics and human-robot interaction. His research integrates evolutionary robotics , reservoir computing , and tactile sensing , aiming to bridge engineering, physiology, and synthetic biology. Recent publications highlight innovations in Soft robotic actuation Robust control systems Multimodal sensor integration Human-robot collaborative tasks Dr. Iida's 15 most recent 2025 articles emphasize reservoir computing , soft sensor design , and adaptive motor coordination , reflecting his commitment to advancing embodied intelligence in robotics. No formal awards or student advisement details were found in the provided texts.
Daniel Rodríguez is Chancellor’s Professor of City & Regional Planning at UC Berkeley and Director of the Institute for Transportation Studies. His research examines transportation-land development interactions and their environmental/health consequences, with focus on climate adaptation strategies, equity in urban mobility, and health impacts in Latin American cities. Current projects analyze behavioral responses to extreme heat, green space benefits, and low-emission zones. Education: PhD, University of Michigan (2000) MS, Transportation, MIT (1996) BS, Business Administration, Fordham University (1994) Rodríguez employs interdisciplinary approaches to study how physical urban attributes influence behavior and health. His work integrates transportation policy, environmental planning, and health geography, emphasizing low-income communities. Research utilizes geospatial analysis, epidemiological methods, and behavioral modeling to inform urban sustainability. Publications focus on transportation equity (45%), urban health (35%), and climate adaptation (20%), with strong emphasis on Latin America. Recent articles demonstrate innovative spatial analysis techniques including computer vision and multi-city ecological studies. Awards: Best Paper, Risk Analysis (2015) Excellence in Safety Research Award, RWJF/CDC (2015) Fred Burggraf Award, TRB (2000) Advises doctoral students and teaches sustainable mobility, transportation policy, and active transportation planning. Leads research teams on SALURBAL project analyzing urban health determinants across 11 countries. Future work focuses on climate-resilient infrastructure financing and mega-city mobility transitions.
Professor Guy Wallis is a Professor and Director of Research at the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Queensland. He is also an Affiliate of the Centre for Sensorimotor Performance. His work bridges visual neuroscience, computational modeling, and applied human factors research, with significant contributions to understanding visual recognition and visuomotor behavior. Education: Bachelor (Honours) of Engineering in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Imperial College London PhD in Visual Neuroscience from University of Oxford, UK Prof. Wallis's research program combines computational modeling with behavioral studies, many conducted in computer-controlled virtual environments. His work spans visual neuroscience, object recognition, visuomotor control, and simulator-based training. He has made significant theoretical contributions to understanding how visual recognition is achieved in biological systems and how everyday visuomotor tasks are regulated, challenging existing paradigms and offering new insights. His recent publications reveal a strong focus on virtual reality applications, visual-motor integration challenges, and cross-species cognitive studies. There's a clear trend toward investigating how virtual environments can be optimized for training and assessment, with particular attention to visual perception limitations and how humans adapt to these environments across diverse contexts from surgical training to aviation. Scientific Awards and Recognitions: Elected Fellow of the Queensland Academy of Arts and Sciences (2022) ARC Medical Research Advisory Group (2022-2024) ARC College of Experts (2019-2021) CSIRO CSS Human Research Ethics Committee member (2020-2022) UQ Health and Behavioural Sciences Faculty, HDR Supervision Award (2018) ARC Future Fellowship (2011-2014) ARC QEII Fellowship (2003-2007) UQ Postdoctoral Fellowship (2001-2003) Prof. Wallis has successfully secured funding from major organizations including the Australian Research Council, the Human Frontier Science Program, and the Wellcome Trust. His industry partnerships span diverse sectors such as construction training, mining, healthcare, and aerospace. His research has led to the development of novel training programs for health professionals, impacted the design of man-machine interfaces for mining equipment, and informed the design parameters for pilot training systems. As Director of Research, he oversees the research direction of the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations and supporting early-career researchers through his leadership in the Centre for Sensorimotor Performance.
Michael J. Black is a Professor and Honorarprofessor at the University of Tübingen's Faculty of Science, Department of Computer Science, and a founding Director of the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, leading the Perceiving Systems department. He holds a B.Sc. from the University of British Columbia (1985), M.S. from Stanford (1989), and Ph.D. in Computer Science from Yale (1992). His research focuses on computer vision, 3D human modeling, motion capture, and AI-driven digital humans. Key contributions include the SMPL body model, optical flow algorithms, and datasets like Middlebury Flow and Sintel. He has received major awards such as the PAMI Distinguished Researcher Award, multiple Koenderink and Longuet-Higgins Prizes, and is a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. His commercial ventures include co-founding Body Labs (acquired by Amazon) and Meshcapade, advancing 3D human generation and interaction technologies. Recent work includes markerless motion capture systems (e.g., MAMMA, PICO), 3D hair and garment synthesis, and AI tools like ChatHuman for 3D human interaction analysis. His research bridges vision, graphics, and robotics, with applications in animation, healthcare, and robotics.
Professor Victor Fung is a leading academic in neurology and motor control at the Sydney Medical School , University of Sydney. He serves as Director of the Movement Disorders Unit at Westmead Hospital and holds prominent roles in the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (President) and the Asia Pacific Affairs Committee of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Neurologists. His research focuses on Parkinson's disease , dystonia , tremor , and movement disorder genetics , with over 250 peer-reviewed publications and an h-index of 61. His work spans Clinical trials for Parkinson's treatments (e.g., foslevodopa/foscarbidopa infusion, incobotulinumtoxinA) Genetic studies on dystonia and Parkinsonism Neurophysiological assessments of tremor and balance Development of screening tools for dystonia and Parkinson's complications Key article trends highlight genetic diversity in dystonia, neuroinflammatory mechanisms in tremor, and behavioral neurology in Parkinson's disease. He contributes to editorial boards of npj Parkinson's Disease , Journal of Clinical Movement Disorders , and Faculty Opinions . While no explicit student lists are provided, his collaborations span global institutions. His clinical work at Westmead Hospital addresses device-assisted therapies and complex movement disorders.
