The Speakers

Arash Afraz,

Senior Investigator at NIMH/NIH

Dr. Afraz received his MD from Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2003. In 2005 he joined the Vision Science Laboratory at Harvard and studied spatial constraints of face recognition under the mentorship of Dr. Patrick Cavanagh. Dr. Afraz received his PhD in Psychology from Harvard University in 2009. Right after, he joined Dr. James DiCarlo's group at MIT as a postdoctoral fellow to study the neural underpinnings of face and object recognition. Dr. Afraz started at NIMH as a principal investigator in 2017 to lead the unit on Neurons, Circuits and Behavior (Afraz group).

Xing Chen,

Assistant Professor at University of Pittsburgh

Dr. Chen, PhD, is a tenure-track Assistant Professor specializing in brain-computer interfaces, visual neuroscience, and blindness. Her research uses recording and electrical stimulation of the visual pathways of the brain to understand visual processing and perception, including in the absence of input via the eye. She obtained her Bachelor’s in Neuroscience at the University of Southern California in 2008, and her PhD in Visual Neuroscience at Newcastle University (UK) in 2014. She carried out her postdoctoral research at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience from 2014, becoming a Senior Researcher in 2020, and co-PI on large consortium programs totaling >€18M in funding. In 2019, she co-founded a neurotechnology startup, Phosphoenix, with the goal of developing a clinical implant for vision restoration in profoundly blind people, receiving a €2.5M EIC Transition grant in 2025. Her work is currently funded by the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award and a Blackrock Neurotech Ecosystem Operator Award.

Zhe Sage Chen,

Professor at New York University

Dr. Chen is a professor and principal investigator at NYU School of Medicine, holding appointments in Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Biomedical Engineering. He directs both the CN3 (Computational Neuroscience, Neuroengineering and Neuropsychiatry) Laboratory and the Computational Psychiatry program at NYU, following prior roles at MIT, Harvard Medical School, and RIKEN. His NSF- and NIH-funded lab research sleep, memory, motor coding, pain, and cognitive control through computational neuroscience, machine learning, and brain-machine interfaces. His work was published in journals including Nature, Nature Biomedical Engineering, Cell, and Neuron. He has authored and edited several books on memory and sleep, state-space methods, and dynamic neuroscience, and serves on editorial boards such as Neural Networks, Journal of Neural Engineering, IEEE TSNRE, and Communications Biology.

Maria Dadarlat,

Assistant Professor at Purdue University

Dr. Dadarlat conducts research in sensorimotor integration, neural plasticity, and brain-machine interfaces (BMIs). Her work focuses on understanding how the brain processes sensory feedback to guide movement, with the goal of developing neuroprosthetic technologies that restore lost motor and sensory functions. A key area of her research is the role of sensory feedback in motor learning and control. Using a combination of electrophysiology, computational modeling, and behavioral experiments, she investigates how the somatosensory and motor cortices interact to adapt to new experiences.

Daniel Denman,

Associate Professor at University of Colorado Anschutz

Dr. Denman, PhD, is a faculty member in the Department of Physiology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and leader of the Denman Lab. His research focuses on how neural circuits generate visual perception, combining electrophysiology, imaging, computational modeling, and neurostimulation techniques to study information processing in the brain. Through innovative work in visual neuroscience, neural recording technologies, and cortical circuit function, he has contributed to numerous high-impact publications and advances in systems neuroscience.

Jessica Filosa,

Professor at Augusta University

Dr. Filosa is a Professor of Physiology at Augusta University's Medical College of Georgia. Her lab uses electrophysiology, calcium imaging, and immunohistochemistry to study neurovascular coupling—how astrocytes bridge neuron activity and vascular dynamics. She examines arteriole properties, calcium signaling, and region-specific variations across the brain to understand how disrupted neuron-glial-vascular communication drives conditions like stroke, hypertension, Alzheimer's disease, and diabetes.

Emily Graczyk,

Assistant Professor at Case Western University

Dr. Graczyk research focuses on neural interfaces, sensory neuroprosthetics, and human perception. Her work focuses on developing advanced brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) and neuroprosthetic technologies to restore sensory function, particularly touch perception in individuals with limb loss or neurological impairments. A key area of her research is sensory feedback for prosthetic limbs. Using electrical stimulation of the peripheral and central nervous system, Graczyk investigates how artificial sensory signals can be interpreted naturally by the brain, improving the control and usability of neuroprosthetic devices.

Charles Greenspon,

Assistant Professor at University of Chicago

Dr. Greenspon, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery at the University of Chicago whose research focuses on neural engineering, sensory neuroscience, and brain-computer interfaces. His work explores how intracortical microstimulation of the somatosensory cortex can restore touch and improve sensory feedback for neuroprosthetics and bionic limbs. Through pioneering studies in artificial touch, sensory perception, and neural stimulation, he has contributed to advances in neurotechnology aimed at restoring function and improving quality of life for individuals with neurological injuries and disabilities.

Warren M. Grill,

Professor at Duke University

Dr. Grill is the James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University and a globally recognized leader in neural engineering, bioelectric medicine, and neurostimulation. His pioneering research has advanced deep brain stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation, spinal cord stimulation, and neural prostheses, helping shape therapies for Parkinson’s disease, chronic pain, movement disorders, and other neurological conditions. A Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, Dr. Grill has authored hundreds of influential publications and continues to drive innovations that improve human health and quality of life through interdisciplinary research, teaching, and mentorship.

Xue Han,

Professor at Boston University

Dr. Han joined the biomedical engineering faculty in 2010. She is a pioneer in the field of optogenetics, in which scientists reengineer nerve cells, or neurons, to respond to light, using molecules called opsins. By finding ways to implant opsins into neurons, Han has given researchers a simple tool to turn neurons on and off, and thereby study their function. The technique is now widely used to study brain activity and neurological diseases. Her research interests also include developing novel neurotechnologies integrating cutting-edge genetic, molecular, pharmacological, optical, electrical, and nano tools, and studying the network principles of brain disorders. A Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences and a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, Han and her colleagues are collaborating with BU engineers, biologists, synthetic biologists, and neuroscientists.

Luca Mazzucato,

Professor at University of Oregon

Dr. Mazzucato is a theoretical physicist by training. He obtained his PhD in Theoretical Particle Physics at SISSA/ISAS in Trieste, Italy, in 2005 and worked on string theory and beyond the Standard Model physics at the Department of Particle Physics at Tel Aviv University (2005-2008) and as a Visiting Researcher at the Racah Institute of Physics at Hebrew University (2006). He was a Member at the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics (2008-2011), and a Visiting Scientist at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, Santa Barbara (2009). He began his neuroscience research in 2012 at the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University. He was a Swartz Fellow in Theoretical Neurobiology (2013-2014) and, since 2014, a NIH-funded Principal Investigator. He was an Associate Research Scientist at the Center for Theoretical Neuroscience at the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia University (2017/2018).

Lee Miller,

Professor at Northwestern University

Dr. Miller has had a career-long interest in the brain’s control of arm and hand movement, which he has studied using both psychophysical and EMG experiments in humans, and single neuron recordings from behaving monkeys. For the past decade, his lab has increasingly focused on translational research, including the use of brain computer interfaces designed to mimic the function of the intact nervous system in an effort to restore movement and sensation to persons with spinal cord injury. His work is now centered on translating this technology to humans.

Tirin Moore,

Professor at Harvard University

Dr. Moore is an American visual neuroscientist, Professor of Neurobiology at Stanford University and Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. His research has advanced understanding of neural mechanisms underlying visual perception, attention, and visual-motor integration, revealing how prefrontal cortex influences visual processing. Elected to the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Medicine, and American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he has received honors including the Troland, Pradel, and Golden Brain awards.

Sava Sakadzic,

Associate Professor Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School

Dr. Sakadžić's is a researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School whose work focuses on developing advanced optical imaging technologies to study oxygen delivery, metabolism, and neurovascular coupling in the brain. His research combines innovative imaging methods with translational neuroscience to improve understanding of brain function in health and disease. Through this work, he aims to identify new biomarkers, advance quantitative neuroimaging, and support the development of more effective therapies for neurological disorders.

Matthew A. Smith,

Professor at Carnegie Mellon University

Dr. Smith’s core interest lies in understanding the brain’s mechanisms for interpreting visual inputs, processing them, and generating motor outputs. His work merges a host of backgrounds, from computational approaches to electrophysiology, to better understand how groups of neurons give rise to visual perception, cognition, and action. Smith is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering and the Carnegie Mellon Neuroscience Institute. He was a recipient of a NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independent Award and a Career Development Award from Research to Prevent Blindness. His work has been funded by the NIH, NSF, Research to Prevent Blindness, Raynor Cerebellum Project, and Hillman Foundation.

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