Research Areas

Few mysteries remain as challenging, but essential to the human condition as that of understanding our own brains. Neuroscience demands a synthesis of approaches from nearly all of the traditional disciplines to uncover the profound structure, organization, and dynamics present at scales from the molecular building blocks and biophysical processes of individual neurons all the way up to the complex systems and networks underlying to our ability to learn, remember, and reflect. At the same time, the vast diversity of life gives opportunities for common and exceptional features of nervous systems that enable sensing, perception, and movement even beyond our own and may hold secrets for the next generation of interventions, innovations, and neuro-inspired intelligence.

The rapid development of new neurotechnologies is catalyzing major advances in our basic understanding of neural function and unlocking new treatments for a wide range of disorders. In particular, neuroengineering advances in (invasive and noninvasive) interfacing and the explosion of new computational approaches such as artificial intelligence (AI) have enabled an ability to measure, model and manipulate the nervous system with unprecedented resolution. The march toward technological approaches for intelligent interactions with the brain will continue to fuel our scientific discovery and our translation of new interventions that restore or enhance function.

To recognize and address the scope of societal impacts of (and influences on) neuroscience and neurotechnology, we must build a community of researchers composed of diverse disciplinary perspectives that are inclusive of the arts, design, policy, business, social sciences, and humanities. The imaginative and critical questions brought to bear on how we interact, embrace, and/or question science and technology centered on the brain requires collaborations between a range of disciplinary experts. We must also consider how to train the next generation of transdisciplinary scholars who will lead the responsible deployment of neuroscience and neurotechnology advances in society.