Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute


Showing 301-400 of 554 Results

  • Christopher Lowe

    Christopher Lowe

    Professor of Biology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsEvolution and development, specifically the evolution of the deuterostomes

  • Bingwei Lu

    Bingwei Lu

    Professor of Pathology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe are interested in understanding how neural stem cells balance their self-renewal and differentiation and how deregulation of this process can result in brain tumor. We are also interested in mechanisms of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. We are using both Drosophila and mammalian models to address these fundamental questions.

  • Liqun Luo

    Liqun Luo

    Ann and Bill Swindells Professor and Professor, by courtesy, of Neurobiology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe study how neurons are organized into specialized circuits to perform specific functions and how these circuits are assembled during development. We have developed molecular-genetic and viral tools, and are combining them with transcriptomic, proteomic, physiological, and behavioral approaches to study these problems. Topics include: 1) assembly of the fly olfactory circuit; 2) assembly of neural circuits in the mouse brain; 3) organization and function of neural circuits; 4) Tool development.

  • M Bruce MacIver

    M Bruce MacIver

    Professor (Research) of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Emeritus

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe study drug effects on the nervous system. Cellular, synaptic and molecular drug actions are investigated using electrophysiological and pharmacological tools in cortical/hippocampal brain slice preparations. We are also interested in mechanisms of neuronal integration and synchronization, especially related to patterns of EEG activity seen in vivo and in brain slices.

  • Sean Mackey, M.D., Ph.D.

    Sean Mackey, M.D., Ph.D.

    Redlich Professor, Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine and, by courtesy, of Neurology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMultiple NIH funded projects to characterize CNS mechanisms of human pain. Comparative effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy and chronic pain self-management within the context of opioid reduction (PCORI funded). Single session pain catastrophizing treatment: comparative efficacy & mechanisms (NIH R01). Development and implementation of an open-source learning healthcare system, CHOIR (http://choir/stanford.edu), to optimize pain care and innovative research in real-world patients.

  • Daniel V. Madison

    Daniel V. Madison

    Associate Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur underlying forms of activity-dependent synaptic plasticity such as long-term potentiation and long-term depression, and in particular the function and plasticity of Parvalbumin-containing interneurons in neocortex. In the past few years, we have used a combinatorial approach to comparing physiological and anatomical plasticity-induced changes in synapses using electrode recording and Array Tomography in the same neurons.

  • Merritt Maduke

    Merritt Maduke

    Associate Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMolecular mechanisms of ion chnanels & transporters studied by integration of structural and electrophysiological methods.

  • Holden Maecker

    Holden Maecker

    Professor (Research) of Microbiology and Immunology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsI'm interested in immune monitoring of T cell responses to chronic pathogens and cancer, and the correlation of T cell response signatures with disease protection.

  • Vinit B. Mahajan, MD, PhD

    Vinit B. Mahajan, MD, PhD

    Professor of Ophthalmology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur focus is the development of personalized medicine for eye diseases through translation of our discoveries in proteomics, genomics, and phenomics in humans, mice and tissue culture models.

  • Robert Malenka

    Robert Malenka

    Nancy Friend Pritzker Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
    On Leave from 11/01/2023 To 10/31/2025

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsLong-lasting changes in synaptic strength are important for the modification of neural circuits by experience. A major goal of my laboratory is to elucidate the molecular events that trigger various forms of synaptic plasticity and the modifications in synaptic proteins that are responsible for the changes in synaptic efficacy.

  • Rachel Manber, PhD

    Rachel Manber, PhD

    Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (General Psychiatry and Psychology-Adult)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsRecent and current projects include
    Treatment of insomnia during pregnancy
    Treatment of insomnia comorbid with sleep apnea
    Use of digital interventions for insomnia among middle age and older adults
    Mobile intervention for insomnia among those with alcohol use

  • Jessie (Kittle) Markovits

    Jessie (Kittle) Markovits

    Clinical Associate Professor, Medicine
    Clinical Associate Professor (By courtesy), Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsHypnosis for perioperative symptom management in elective orthopedic surgery.

  • Nicole Martinez-Martin

    Nicole Martinez-Martin

    Assistant Professor (Research) of Pediatrics (Biomedical Ethics)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsNIH/National Institute of Mental Health
    K01 MH118375-01A1
    “Ethical, Legal and Social Implications in the Use of Digital Technology for Mental Health Applications”

    Greenwall Foundation Making a Difference in Bioethics Grant
    “Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of Digital Phenotyping”

  • Tarik F. Massoud, MD, PhD

    Tarik F. Massoud, MD, PhD

    Professor of Radiology (Neuroimaging and Neurointervention)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy current interests are in molecular and translational imaging of the brain especially in neuro-oncology and cerebrovascular diseases, experimental aspects of neuroimaging, clinical neuroradiology, neuroradiological anatomy, and research education and academic training of radiologists and scientists.

  • Jay McClelland

    Jay McClelland

    Lucie Stern Professor in the Social Sciences, Professor of Psychology and, by courtesy, of Linguistics and of Computer Science

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research addresses topics in perception and decision making; learning and memory; language and reading; semantic cognition; and cognitive development. I view cognition as emerging from distributed processing activity of neural populations, with learning occurring through the adaptation of connections among neurons. A new focus of research in the laboratory is mathematical cognition and reasoning in humans and contemporary AI systems based on neural networks.

  • Susan K. McConnell

    Susan K. McConnell

    Susan B. Ford Professor, Emerita

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsSusan McConnell has studied the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie the development of the mammalian cerebral cortex. Her work focused on the earliest events that pattern the developing forebrain, enable neural progenitors to divide asymmetrically to generate young neurons, propel the migration of postmitotic neurons outward into their final positions, and sculpt the fates and phenotypes of the neurons as they differentiate.

  • Uel Jackson McMahan

    Uel Jackson McMahan

    Professor of Neurobiology and of Structural Biology, Emeritus

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe are currently investigating mechanisms involved in synaptic transmission and synaptogenesis using electron microscope tomography in ways that provide in situ 3D structural information at macromolecular resolution.

  • Jennifer A McNab

    Jennifer A McNab

    Associate Professor (Research) of Radiology (Radiological Sciences Laboratory)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research is focused on developing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods that probe brain tissue microstructure. This requires new MRI contrast mechanisms, strategic encoding and reconstruction schemes, physiological monitoring, brain tissue modeling and validation. Applications of these methods include neuronavigation, neurosurgical planning and the development of improved biomarkers for brain development, degeneration, disease and injury.

  • Kimford Meador, MD

    Kimford Meador, MD

    Professor of Neurology (Adult Neurology)
    On Partial Leave from 01/28/2024 To 04/04/2024

    BioDr. Meador is a Professor of Neurology and Neurosciences at Stanford University, and Clinical Director, Stanford Comprehensive Epilepsy Center. Dr. Meador graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Applied Biology (with high honor) and received his MD from the Medical College of Georgia. After an internship at the University of Virginia and service as an officer in the Public Health Corps, he completed a residency in Neurology at the Medical College of Georgia and a fellowship in Behavioral Neurology at the University of Florida. Dr. Meador joined the faculty at the Medical College of Georgia (1984-2002) where he became the Charbonnier Professor of Neurology. He was the Chair of Neurology at Georgetown University (2002-2004), the Melvin Greer Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience at the University of Florida (2004-2008) where he served as Director of Epilepsy Program and Director of the Clinical Alzheimer Research Program, and Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at Emory University (2008-2013) where he served as Director of Epilepsy and of Clinical Neurocience Research. He joined the faculty of Stanford University in 2013. Dr. Meador has authored over 400 peer-reviewed publications. His research interests include: cognitive mechanisms (e.g., memory and attention); cerebral lateralization; pharmacology and physiology of cognition; mechanisms of perception, consciousness and memory; EEG; epilepsy; epilepsy and pregnancy; preoperative evaluation for epilepsy surgery; intracarotid amobarbital procedure (i.e., Wada test); functional imaging; therapeutic drug trials; neurodevelopmental effects of antiepileptic drugs; psychoimmunology; behavioral disorders (e.g., aphasia, neglect, dementia); and neuropsychiatric disorders. Dr. Meador has served as the PI for a long running NIH multicenter study of pregnancy outcomes in women with epilepsy and their children. Dr. Meador has served on the editorial boards for Clinical Neurophysiology, Epilepsy and Behavior, Epilepsy Currents, Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology, Neurology, Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, and Epilepsy.com. His honors include Resident Teaching Award Medical College of Georgia; Outstanding Young Faculty Award in Clinical Sciences Medical College of Georgia; Distinguished Faculty Award for Clinical Research Medical College of Georgia Lawrence C. McHenry History Award American Academy of Neurology; Dreifuss Abstract Award American Epilepsy Society; Fellow of the American Neurological Association; Diplomat of American Neurologic Association; past Chair of the Section of Behavioral Neurology of American Academy of Neurology; past President of Society for Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology; past President of the Society for Behavioral & Cognitive Neurology; past President of the Southern EEG & Epilepsy Society; ranking in the top 10 experts in epilepsy worldwide by Expertscape; Distinguished Alumnus Award for Professional Achievement, Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Regents University 2015; American Epilepsy Society Clinical Research Award; and named award by the American Epilepsy Society: “Kimford J. Meador Research in Women with Epilepsy Award,” and ranked in the top 500 neuroscientist in the world and top 300 in USA by Research.com in 2022.

  • Elizabeth Mellins

    Elizabeth Mellins

    Member, Bio-X

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMolecular mechanisms and intracellular pathways of MHC class II antigen processing and presentation, with a focus on B cells; mechanisms underlying HLA allele association with disease; disease mechanisms in systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, including an HLA-linked complication; monocytes as drivers or suppressors of auto-inflammation in systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis and pediatric acute neuropsychiatric syndrome.

  • Nicholas Melosh

    Nicholas Melosh

    Professor of Materials Science and Engineering

    BioThe Melosh group explores how to apply new methods from the semiconductor and self-assembly fields to important problems in biology, materials, and energy. We think about how to rationally design engineered interfaces to enhance communication with biological cells and tissues, or to improve energy conversion and materials synthesis. In particular, we are interested in seamlessly integrating inorganic structures together with biology for improved cell transfection and therapies, and designing new materials, often using diamondoid molecules as building blocks.
    My group is very interested in how to design new inorganic structures that will seamless integrate with biological systems to address problems that are not feasible by other means. This involves both fundamental work such as to deeply understand how lipid membranes interact with inorganic surfaces, electrokinetic phenomena in biologically relevant solutions, and applying this knowledge into new device designs. Examples of this include “nanostraw” drug delivery platforms for direct delivery or extraction of material through the cell wall using a biomimetic gap-junction made using nanoscale semiconductor processing techniques. We also engineer materials and structures for neural interfaces and electronics pertinent to highly parallel data acquisition and recording. For instance, we have created inorganic electrodes that mimic the hydrophobic banding of natural transmembrane proteins, allowing them to ‘fuse’ into the cell wall, providing a tight electrical junction for solid-state patch clamping. In addition to significant efforts at engineering surfaces at the molecular level, we also work on ‘bridge’ projects that span between engineering and biological/clinical needs. My long history with nano- and microfabrication techniques and their interactions with biological constructs provide the skills necessary to fabricate and analyze new bio-electronic systems.


    Research Interests:
    Bio-inorganic Interface
    Molecular materials at interfaces
    Self-Assembly and Nucleation and Growth

  • Vinod Menon

    Vinod Menon

    Rachael L. and Walter F. Nichols, MD, Professor and Professor, by courtesy, of Education and of Neurology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsEXPERIMENTAL, CLINICAL AND THEORETICAL SYSTEMS NEUROSCIENCE

    Cognitive neuroscience; Systems neuroscience; Cognitive development; Psychiatric neuroscience; Functional brain imaging; Dynamical basis of brain function; Nonlinear dynamics of neural systems.

  • Emmanuel Mignot, MD, PhD

    Emmanuel Mignot, MD, PhD

    Craig Reynolds Professor of Sleep Medicine and Professor, by courtesy, of Genetics and of Neurology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe research focus of the laboratory is the study of sleep and sleep disorders such as narcolepsy and Kleine Levin syndrome. We also study the neurobiological and genetic basis of the EEG and develop new tools to study sleep using nocturnal polysomnography. Approaches mostly involve human genetic studies (GWAS, sequencing), EEG signal analysis (deep learning), and immunology (narcolepsy is an autoimmune disease of the brain). We also work on autoimmune encephalitis.

  • Arnold Milstein

    Arnold Milstein

    Professor of Medicine (General Medical Discipline)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDesign national demonstration of innovations in care delivery that provide more with less. Informed by research on AI-assisted clinical workflow, positive value outlier analysis and triggers of loss aversion bias among patients and clinicians.

    Research on creation of a national index of health system productivity gain.

  • Daria Mochly-Rosen

    Daria Mochly-Rosen

    George D. Smith Professor of Translational Medicine

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsTwo areas: 1. Using rationally-designed peptide inhibitors to study protein-protein interactions in cell signaling. Focus: protein kinase C in heart and large GTPases regulating mitochondrial dynamics in neurodegdenration. 2. Using small molecules (identified in a high throughput screens and synthetic chemistry) as activators and inhibitors of aldehyde dehydrogenases, a family of detoxifying enzymes, and glucose-6-phoshate dehydrogenase, in normal cells and in models of human diseases.

  • W. E. Moerner

    W. E. Moerner

    Harry S. Mosher Professor

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsLaser spectroscopy and microscopy of single molecules to probe biological systems, one biomolecule at a time. Primary thrusts: fluorescence microscopy far beyond the optical diffraction limit (PALM/STORM/STED), methods for 3D optical microscopy in cells, and trapping of single biomolecules in solution for extended study. We explore protein localization patterns in bacteria, structures of amyloid aggregates in cells, signaling proteins in the primary cilium, and dynamics of DNA and RNA.

  • Michelle Monje

    Michelle Monje

    Milan Gambhir Professor of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology and Professor, by courtesy, of Neurosurgery, of Pediatrics, of Pathology and of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe Monje Lab studies the molecular and cellular mechanisms of postnatal neurodevelopment. This includes microenvironmental influences on neural precursor cell fate choice in normal neurodevelopment and in disease states.

  • Andrea Montanari

    Andrea Montanari

    John D. and Sigrid Banks Professor and Professor of Mathematics

    BioI am interested in developing efficient algorithms to make sense of large amounts of noisy data, extract information from observations, estimate signals from measurements. This effort spans several disciplines including statistics, computer science, information theory, machine learning.
    I am also working on applications of these techniques to healthcare data analytics.

  • Thomas Montine, MD, PhD

    Thomas Montine, MD, PhD

    Stanford Medicine Professor of Pathology

    BioDr. Montine received his education at Columbia University (BA in Chemistry), the University of Rochester (PhD in Pharmacology), and McGill University (MD and CM). His postgraduate medical training was at Duke University, and he was junior faculty at Vanderbilt University where he was awarded the Thorne Professorship in Pathology. In 2002, Dr. Montine was appointed as the Alvord Endowed Professor in Neuropathology and Director of the Division of Neuropathology at the University of Washington. He was Director of the University of Washington Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, one of the original 10 Centers in the US, and passed that responsibility to able colleagues. Dr. Montine was the founding Director of the Pacific Udall Center, a NINDS-funded Morris K. Udall Centers of Excellence for Parkinson’s Disease Research. In 2010, Dr. Montine was appointed Chair of the Department of Pathology at the University of Washington. In 2016, Dr. Montine was appointed Chair of the Department of Pathology at Stanford University where he is the Stanford Medicine Endowed Professor in Pathology.

    The focus of the Montine Laboratory is on the structural and molecular bases of cognitive impairment. The Montine Laboratory addresses this prevalent, unmet medical need through a combination of neuropathology, biomarkers for detection and progression of early disease, and experimental studies that test hypotheses concerning specific mechanisms of neuron injury and then develop novel approaches to neuroprotection. Our current approaches include small molecule precision therapeutics and cell replacement strategies for brain.

  • Tirin Moore

    Tirin Moore

    Ben Barres Professor

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe study neural mechanisms of visual-motor integration and the neural basis of cognition (e.g. attention). We study the activity of single neurons in visual and motor structures within the brain, examine how perturbing that activity affects neurons in other brain structures, and also how it affects the perceptual and

  • Elizabeth Mormino

    Elizabeth Mormino

    Assistant Professor (Research) of Neurology (Neurology Research Faculty)

    BioDr. Beth Mormino completed a PhD in Neuroscience at UC Berkeley in the laboratory of Dr. William Jagust, where she performed some of the initial studies applying Amyloid PET with the tracer PIB to clinically normal older individuals. This initial work provided evidence that the pathophysiological processes of Alzheimer’s disease begin years before clinical symptoms and are associated with subtle changes to brain regions critical for memory. During her postdoctoral fellowship with Drs. Reisa Sperling and Keith Johnson at Massachusetts General Hospital she used multimodal imaging techniques to understand longitudinal cognitive changes among individuals classified as preclinical AD. In 2017, Dr. Mormino joined the faculty at Stanford University in the department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences. Her research program focuses on combining imaging and genetics to predict cognitive trajectories over time, and the integration of novel PET scans to better understand human aging and neurodegenerative diseases.

  • Michael Moseley

    Michael Moseley

    Professor of Radiology (Radiological Sciences Lab)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMR physics into tissue contrast mechanisms such as diffusion, perfusion, and functional imaging describes the research direction. Applications of cerebral stroke (brain attacks) and neurocognitive disorders are also being developed from these methods

  • Heather E. Moss, MD, PhD

    Heather E. Moss, MD, PhD

    Professor of Ophthalmology and of Neurology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsI am a clinician scientist with a background in engineering, epidemiology and neuro-ophthalmology. In my research, I combine tools from these disciplines with the goal of understanding and preventing vision loss from optic nerve diseases. My focus is on papilledema, the swelling of the optic nerve head due to elevation in intracranial pressure, which we are characterizing using electrophysiological and imaging techniques. Other areas of interest are peri-operative vision loss and optic neuritis.

  • Philippe Mourrain

    Philippe Mourrain

    Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Major Laboratories and Clinical Translational Neurosciences Incubator)

    BioExpertise: Neurobiology, Sleep sciences, Molecular Genetics, Developmental Biology, Gene Silencing/Epigenetics

    Methodology: Synapse Imaging (Two photon microscopy, Array Tomography), Calcium Imaging (Light Sheet Microscopy/SPIM, Light Field Microscopy), Optogenetics, CLARITY, Tol2 transgenesis, TALENs, CRISPR/Cas9, Video tracking and behavior computation.

  • Prithvi Mruthyunjaya, MD, MHS

    Prithvi Mruthyunjaya, MD, MHS

    Professor of Ophthalmology and, by courtesy, of Radiation Oncology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr Mruthyunjaya has maintained a broad research interest with publications in both ocular oncology and retinal diseases.
    His focus is on multi-modal imaging of ocular tumors and understanding imaging clues that may predict vision loss after ocular radiation therapy. He coordinates multi-center research on the role of genetic testing and outcomes of treatments of ocular melanoma.
    In the field of retinal diseases, his interests are in intra-operative imaging to enhance surgical accuracy.

  • David Myung, MD, PhD

    David Myung, MD, PhD

    Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and, by courtesy, of Chemical Engineering

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsNovel biomaterials to reconstruct the wounded cornea
    Mesenchymal stem cell therapy for corneal and ocular surface regeneration
    Engineered biomolecule therapies for promote corneal wound healing

    Telemedicine in ophthalmology

  • Claude M. Nagamine, DVM, PhD

    Claude M. Nagamine, DVM, PhD

    Associate Professor of Comparative Medicine
    On Partial Leave from 02/01/2024 To 08/31/2024

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMouse models to study murine and human infectious diseases. These colloborative studies include dengue virus, zika virus, adeno-associated virus, coxsackie virus, enterovirus 71, enterohepatic helicobacters, campylobacters, and anaplasma.

  • William Newsome

    William Newsome

    Harman Family Provostial Professor and Professor of Neurobiology and, by courtesy, of Psychology
    On Leave from 09/01/2023 To 03/31/2024

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsNeural processes that mediate visual perception and visually-based decision making. Influence of reward history on decision making.

  • Quan Dong Nguyen, MD, MSc

    Quan Dong Nguyen, MD, MSc

    Professor of Ophthalmology and, by courtesy, of Pediatrics and of Medicine (Immunology & Rheumatology)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe have focused our research on the development of novel therapies and innovative assessment and diagnostic imaging technologies for retinal vascular and ocular inflammatory disorders, specifically diabetic retinopathy (DR), age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and uveitis. Building on our initial work describing the role of hypoxia and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic macular edema (DME), We have become interested in the biochemical mechanisms that would presumably lead to DME. During the past decade, our research has contributed to the body of evidences that defines the important role of anti-VEGF therapies in DME and AMD, as well as the role of the mTOR pathway and various interleukins in the pathogenesis of uveitis.

    We have launched a productive and well-funded clinical research program while at the same time providing clinical care to patients with uveitis and retinal vascular diseases and fulfilling significant teaching and administrative assignments. We have established a number of key collaborators both within and outside the institutions. In addition, we have also established Center in Baltimore and now in Silicon Valley, which has excelled in conducting proof-of concept, early-phase multi-center clinical trials and studies, exploring the clinical disease manifestations and the efficacy of various pharmacologic agents in retinal, uveitic, and ocular inflammatory disorders.

  • Anthony Norcia

    Anthony Norcia

    Professor (Research) of Psychology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsVision, development, functional imaging, systems analysis

  • Paul Nuyujukian

    Paul Nuyujukian

    Assistant Professor of Bioengineering and of Neurosurgery and, by courtesy, of Electrical Engineering

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur group explores neuroengineering and its application to both basic and clinical neuroscience. Our goal is to develop brain-machine interfaces as a platform technology for a variety of brain-related medical conditions including stroke and epilepsy.

  • Dáibhid Ó Maoiléidigh, PhD

    Dáibhid Ó Maoiléidigh, PhD

    Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery (OHNS)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe Ó Maoiléidigh group employs mathematical and computational approaches to better understand normal hearing and hearing impairment. Because complete restoration of auditory function by artificial devices or regenerative treatments will only be possible when experiments and computational modeling align, we work closely with experimental laboratories. Our goal is to understand contemporary experimental observations, to make experimentally testable predictions, and to motivate new experiments. We are pursuing several projects.

    Hair-Bundle Mechanics

    Auditory and balance organs rely on hair cells to convert mechanical vibrations into electrical signals for transmission to the brain. In response to the quietest sounds we can hear, the hair cell's mechanical sensor, the hair bundle, moves by less than one-billionth of a meter. To determine how this astounding sensitivity is possible, we construct computational models of hair-bundle mechanics. By comparing models with experimental observations, we are learning how a hair bundle's geometry, material properties, and ability to move spontaneously determine its function.

    Cochlear Mechanics

    The cochlea contains the auditory organ that houses the sensory hair cells in mammals. Vibrations in the cochlea arising from sound are amplified more than a thousandfold by the ear's active process. New experimental techniques have additionally revealed that the cochlea vibrates in a complex manner in response to sound. We use computational models to interpret these observations and to make hypotheses about how the cochlea works.

  • Lauren O'Connell

    Lauren O'Connell

    Assistant Professor of Biology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe O'Connell lab studies how genetic and environmental factors contribute to biological diversity and adaptation. We are particularly interested in understanding (1) how behavior evolves through changes in brain function and (2) how animal physiology evolves through repurposing existing cellular components.

  • Ruth O'Hara

    Ruth O'Hara

    Director, Spectrum, Senior Associate Dean, Research and Lowell W. and Josephine Q. Berry Professor

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. O'Hara's research aims to investigate how cognitive information processing deficits subserve affective symptoms in psychiatric disorders, and interact with key brain networks integral to these disorders. To do so, she has implemented a translational, interdisciplinary program that encompasses cellular models, brain and behavioral assays of affective and cognitive information processing systems in psychiatric disorders across the lifespan.

  • Detlef Obal

    Detlef Obal

    Assistant Professor - University Medical Line, Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsI am primarily working at the Cardiovascular Institute (Director Joseph Wu, MD, PhD), studying the effect of different anesthetics on human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC). Considering the current opioid epidemic, I am currently focusing on the effect of chronic opioid exposure on endothelial and cardiac function.

  • Michelle Odden

    Michelle Odden

    Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMultilevel - from cells to society - epidemiologic study of healthy aging

  • Allison Okamura

    Allison Okamura

    Richard W. Weiland Professor in the School of Engineering and Professor, by courtesy, of Computer Science

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research focuses on developing the principles and tools needed to realize advanced robotic and human-machine systems capable of physical interaction. Application areas include surgery, simulation and training, rehabilitation, prosthetics, neuromechanics, exploration of hazardous and remote environments (e.g. space), design, and education.

  • Kunle Olukotun

    Kunle Olukotun

    Cadence Design Systems Professor, Professor of Electrical Engineering and of Computer Science

    BioKunle Olukotun is the Cadence Design Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Stanford University. Olukotun is a pioneer in multicore processor design and the leader of the Stanford Hydra chip multiprocessor (CMP) research project. He founded Afara Websystems to develop high-throughput, low-power multicore processors for server systems. The Afara multi-core processor, called Niagara, was acquired by Sun Microsystems and now powers Oracle's SPARC-based servers. In 2017, Olukotun co-founded SambaNova Systems, a Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence company, and continues to lead as their Chief Technologist.

    Olukotun is the Director of the Pervasive Parallel Lab and a member of the Data Analytics tor What's Next (DAWN) Lab, developing infrastructure for usable machine learning. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, an ACM Fellow, and an IEEE Fellow for contributions to multiprocessors on a chip design and the commercialization of this technology. He also received the Harry H. Goode Memorial Award.

    Olukotun received his Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from The University of Michigan.

  • Anthony Oro, MD, PhD

    Anthony Oro, MD, PhD

    Eugene and Gloria Bauer Professor

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur lab uses the skin to answer questions about epithelial stem cell biology, differentiation and carcinogenesis using genomics, genetics, and cell biological techniques. We have studied how hedgehog signaling regulates regeneration and skin cancer, and how tumors evolve to develop resistance. We study the mechanisms of early human skin development using human embryonic stem cells. These fundamentals studies provide a greater understanding of epithelial biology and novel disease therapeutics.

  • Michael Ostacher

    Michael Ostacher

    Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Public Mental Health and Population Sciences)

    BioDr. Ostacher is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He is the Site Director for the Addiction Medicine Fellowship at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, where he also serves as the Medical Director of the Pharmacology of Addiction Recovery Clinic, the Director of the Bipolar and Depression Research Program and the Co-Director of the VA/Stanford Exploratory Therapeutics Lab, the Director of Advanced Fellowship Training in Mental Illness Research and Treatment for MDs for the VISN 21 MIRECC, and the Site Director at the VA Palo Alto for Advanced Fellowship Training for Stanford. A graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, the Harvard School of Public Health, and Harvard Medical School, he completed his training at The Cambridge Health Alliance at Harvard Medical School in Adult Psychiatry, Public Psychiatry, and Geriatric Psychiatry, and is currently board certified in Psychiatry, Addiction Psychiatry, and Addiction Medicine. He is the Digital Content Editor for the journal Evidence-Based Mental Health and is on the editorial boards of Bipolar Disorders, the International Journal of Bipolar Disorders, the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Current Psychiatry, and Psychiatric Annals. His current research includes roles as Site Investigator for VA-BRAVE, multicenter, randomized trial comparing long-acting injectable buprenorphine to sublingual buprenorphine/naloxone, and trials of psychedelic drugs in psychiatric disorders in Veterans. With funding from NIDA, he studied, along with Jaimee Heffner, Ph.D. at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, smoking cessation in people with bipolar disorder using a novel online psychotherapy derived from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. His primary research interest is in large clinical trials mental health and addiction, and the implementation of evidence-based mental health practices.

  • Einar Ottestad

    Einar Ottestad

    Clinical Professor, Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsI have a strong interest in ultrasound for chronic pain management for diagnostics as well as therapeutics. I also have strong interest in acute pain in the hospital setting, including post-operative as well as cancer pain.

  • Nicholas Ouellette

    Nicholas Ouellette

    Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe Environmental Complexity Lab studies self-organization in a variety of complex systems, ranging from turbulent fluid flows to granular materials to collective motion in animal groups. In all cases, we aim to characterize the macroscopic behavior, understand its origin in the microscopic dynamics, and ultimately harness it for engineering applications. Most of our projects are experimental, though we also use numerical simulation and mathematical modeling when appropriate. We specialize in high-speed, detailed imaging and statistical analysis.

    Our current research includes studies of turbulence in two and three dimensions, with a focus on coherent structures and the geometry of turbulence; the transport of inertial, anisotropic, and active particles in turbulence; the erosion of granular beds by fluid flows and subsequent sediment transport; quantitative measurements of collective behavior in insect swarms and bird flocks; the stability of ocean ecosystems; neural signal processing; and uncovering the natural, self-organized spatiotemporal scales in urban systems.

  • Art Owen

    Art Owen

    Max H. Stein Professor

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsStatistical methods to analyze large data matrices in bioinformatics

  • Cholawat Pacharinsak, DVM, PhD

    Cholawat Pacharinsak, DVM, PhD

    Associate Professor of Comparative Medicine

    BioCholawat Pacharinsak, DVM, PhD Associate Professor and Director of Anesthesia, Pain Management, and Surgery, at Stanford University’s Department of Comparative Medicine; he is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia (DACVAA). He received his DVM from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand and trained in an Anesthesiology/Pain Management residency program and received his Master's degree at Washington State University. He completed his PhD in Comparative and Molecular Biosciences from the University of Minnesota. Prior to arriving at Stanford, Dr. Pacharinsak was a faculty member in Anesthesiology and Pain Management at Michigan State University and Purdue University; and served as a Clinical Specialist at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine. His research focuses on understanding the neurobiology of cancer pain, chemotherapeutic-induced peripheral neuropathy, acute surgical pain models, and methods to improve clinical pain management e.g. sustained release analgesics supporting refinement. Research methodology includes electrophysiologic and behavioral techniques.

  • Daniel Palanker, PhD

    Daniel Palanker, PhD

    Professor of Ophthalmology and, by courtesy, of Electrical Engineering

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsInteractions of electric field and light with biological cells and tissues and their applications to imaging, diagnostics, therapeutics and prosthetics, primarily in ophthalmology.
    Specific fields of interest:
    Electronic retinal prosthesis;
    Electronic enhancement of tear secretion;
    Electronic control of blood vessels;
    Non-damaging retinal laser therapy;
    Ultrafast laser surgery;
    Interferometric imaging of neural signals;
    Cell transplantation and retinal plasticity.

  • Theo Palmer

    Theo Palmer

    Professor of Neurosurgery, Emeritus

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMembers of the Palmer Lab study the biology of neural stem cells in brain development and in the adult. Our primary goal is to understand how genes and environment synergize in influencing stem cell behavior during development and how mild genetic or environmental risk factors for disease may synergize in their detrimental effects on brain development or in the risk of neuronal loss in age-related degenerative disease.

  • David Jaehyun Park

    David Jaehyun Park

    Clinical Instructor, Neurosurgery

    BioDavid Park, MD, PhD, is a neurosurgeon who graduated from medical school at the Catholic University of Korea in Seoul, South Korea. He then completed his internship and residency training in the Department of Neurosurgery at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital. He became a board-certified neurosurgeon in South Korea in 2014 and subsequently completed a 2-year fellowship at the same hospital, specializing in brain tumor surgery and skull base surgery. During his residency, he also attended graduate school while practicing neurosurgery as a trainee and successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis, titled “Combination therapy for gliomas using temozolomide and interferon-beta secreting human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells,” in 2015.

    After completing his fellowship in South Korea, Dr. Park moved to Singapore in 2016 and worked as a Clinical Fellow (Clinical Associate) at the National Neuroscience Institute for one year, focusing on Neurosurgical Oncology and Skull Base Surgery.

    In 2017, Dr. Park joined Dr. Christian Badr’s lab at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, conducting translational research on glioblastoma and studying the role of fatty acids and lipid metabolism in glioblastoma to complement his clinical expertise.

    During this time, Dr. Park also launched a startup based on his invention of an intraoperative diagnostic tool for tumor detection during glioma surgery. He collaborated with bioengineers at M.I.T. to develop a prototype and secured seed funding from the MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund Program. As an alumnus of the MIT Sandbox program, he continues to develop this project.

    In 2020, Dr. Park served as a Neurosurgical Oncology and Radiosurgery Fellow (Teaching Associate) for a year at North Shore University Hospital, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, in Long Island, New York, where he worked with Dr. Michael Schulder on brain tumor surgery including advanced techniques, such as Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) and Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS).

    From July 2021 to June 2022, he completed another fellowship in Neurosurgical Oncology and Radiosurgery at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland. He devoted his efforts to minimally invasive neurosurgical techniques such as LITT and Gamma Knife SRS, as well as awake brain tumor surgery under the guidance of Drs. Gene Barnett, Lilyana Angelov, and Ali Mohammadi.

    As of July 2022, Dr. Park has joined the Department of Neurosurgery at Stanford University as a Clinical Instructor, working with Dr. Steven D. Chang in the fields of Neurosurgical Oncology and CyberKnife SRS.

  • Karen J. Parker, PhD

    Karen J. Parker, PhD

    Truong-Tan Broadcom Endowed Professor and Professor, by courtesy, of Comparative Medicine

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe Parker Lab conducts research on the biology of social functioning in monkeys, typically developing humans, and patients with social impairments.

  • Josef Parvizi, MD, PhD

    Josef Parvizi, MD, PhD

    Professor of Neurology (Adult Neurology) and, by courtesy, of Neurosurgery

    BioDr. Parvizi completed his medical internship at Mayo Clinic, neurology training at Harvard, and subspecialty training in clinical neurophysiology and epilepsy at UCLA before joining the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford in 2007. Dr. Parvizi directs the Stanford Program for Medication Resistant Epilepsies and specializes in surgical treatments of intractable focal epilepsies. Dr. Parvizi is the principal investigator in the Laboratory of Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, where he leads a team of investigators to study the human brain. http://med.stanford.edu/parvizi-lab.html.

  • Anca M. Pasca, MD

    Anca M. Pasca, MD

    Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe research focus of the lab is to understand molecular mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders associated with premature birth, neonatal and fetal brain injury with the long-term goal of translating the lab’s findings into therapeutics. The research team employs a multidisciplinary approach involving genetics, molecular and developmental neurobiology, animal models and neural cells differentiated from patient-derived induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. In particular, the lab is using a powerful 3D human brain-region specific organoid system developed at Stanford (Nature Methods, 2015; Nature Protocols, 2018) to ask questions about brain injury during development.

    https://www.neopascalab.org/

  • Sergiu P. Pasca

    Sergiu P. Pasca

    Kenneth T. Norris, Jr. Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Bonnie Uytengsu and Family Director of the Stanford Brain Organogenesis Program

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsA critical challenge in understanding the intricate programs underlying development, assembly and dysfunction of the human brain is the lack of direct access to intact, functioning human brain tissue for detailed investigation by imaging, recording, and stimulation.
    To address this, we are developing bottom-up approaches to generate and assemble, from multi-cellular components, human neural circuits in vitro and in vivo.
    We introduced the use of instructive signals for deriving from human pluripotent stem cells self-organizing 3D cellular structures named brain region-specific spheroids/organoids. We demonstrated that these cultures, such as the ones resembling the cerebral cortex, can be reliably derived across many lines and experiments, contain synaptically connected neurons and non-reactive astrocytes, and can be used to gain mechanistic insights into genetic and environmental brain disorders. Moreover, when maintained as long-term cultures, they recapitulate an intrinsic program of maturation that progresses towards postnatal stages.
    We also pioneered a modular system to integrate 3D brain region-specific organoids and study human neuronal migration and neural circuit formation in functional preparations that we named assembloids. We have actively applied these models in combination with studies in long-term ex vivo brain preparations to acquire a deeper understanding of human physiology, evolution and disease mechanisms.
    We have carved a unique research program that combines rigorous in vivo and in vitro neuroscience, stem cell and molecular biology approaches to construct and deconstruct previously inaccessible stages of human brain development and function in health and disease.
    We believe science is a community effort, and accordingly, we have been advancing the field by broadly and openly sharing our technologies with numerous laboratories around the world and organizing the primary research conference and the training courses in the area of cellular models of the human brain.

  • Chirag Patel, MD, PhD

    Chirag Patel, MD, PhD

    Member, Cardiovascular Institute

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsNeuro-oncology, Clinical Trials, Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields), Molecular/PET Imaging, Neuroimaging, Immunotherapy, Big Data Analysis

  • Zara Patel, MD

    Zara Patel, MD

    Professor of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery (OHNS)

    BioDr. Zara M. Patel is Director of Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery and a Professor of Otolaryngology and, by courtesy, of Neurosurgery at Stanford. She was born and raised in St. Louis, completed her MD at the Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland, Oregon and completed her residency training in otolaryngology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, NY. After pursuing fellowship training in rhinology and endoscopic skull base surgery at Stanford University, she was recruited to join the Emory University faculty in Atlanta in 2011. After four years, the rhinology division recruited her back to the West coast to rejoin the department here at Stanford University in 2015.

    Dr. Patel is an expert in advanced endoscopic sinus and skull base surgery. She treats patients with a wide variety of rhinologic complaints, including chronic sinus infection or inflammation, sinus disease that has failed medical therapy, sinus disease that has failed prior surgical therapy, cerebrospinal fluid leaks, benign and and malignant sinus and skull base tumors, as well as olfactory disorders.

    She has served as Chair of the Education Committee and Member of the Board of Directors for the American Rhinologic Society, is current Chair of the Rhinology and Allergy Education Committee for the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, and has developed a multitude of educational materials for both physicians and patients to help them better understand rhinologic disorders. She is passionate about educating patients to allow them to make the best decisions about their own care, leading to better outcomes.

    Dr. Patel has published widely in topics such as avoiding complications in endoscopic sinus surgery, chronic rhinosinusitis in the immunosuppressed patient population, new devices and techniques for endoscopic skull base surgery, and olfactory dysfunction. She continues to perform research in these areas, and is currently collaborating with neuroscientists and engineers to develop technology that she hopes will eventually help cure patients with smell loss, and potentially even help those with neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

  • John M. Pauly

    John M. Pauly

    Reid Weaver Dennis Professor

    BioInterests include medical imaging generally, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in particular. Current efforts are focused on medical applications of MRI where real-time interactive imaging is important. Two examples are cardiac imaging, and the interactive guidance of interventional procedures. Specific interests include rapid methods for the excitation and acquisition of the MR signal, and the reconstruction of images from the data acquired using these approaches.

  • Kim Butts Pauly

    Kim Butts Pauly

    Professor of Radiology (Radiological Sciences Lab) and, by courtesy, of Electrical Engineering and of Bioengineering

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe are investigating and developing, and applying focused ultrasound in neuromodulation, blood brain barrier opening, and ablation for both neuro and body applications.

  • Roy Pea

    Roy Pea

    Director, H-STAR, David Jacks Professor of Education and Professor, by courtesy, of Computer Science

    Current Research and Scholarly Interestslearning sciences focus on advancing theories, research, tools and social practices of technology-enhanced learning of complex domains

  • Jon-Paul Pepper, MD

    Jon-Paul Pepper, MD

    Associate Professor of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery (OHNS)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsFacial paralysis is a debilitating condition that affects thousands of people. Despite excellent surgical technique, we are currently limited by the regenerative capacity of the body. The mission of our research is to identify new treatments that improve current facial paralysis treatments. We do this by exploring the regenerative cues that the body uses to restore tissue after nerve injury, in particular through pathways of neurogenesis and nerve repair in small mammals.

  • Claudia Katharina Petritsch

    Claudia Katharina Petritsch

    Associate Professor (Research) of Neurosurgery

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe Petritsch lab broadly investigates underlying causes for the intra-tumoral heterogeneity and immune suppression in brain tumors from a neuro-developmental perspective. Defective cell fate decisions fuel the intra-humoral heterogeneity and plasticity in human brain tumors and may contribute to immune suppression. We use patient-derived models as avatars to study how brain cells control the fate of their progeny, whereby we unravel novel points of vulnerabilities in brain tumor cells.

  • Suzanne Pfeffer

    Suzanne Pfeffer

    Emma Pfeiffer Merner Professor of Medical Sciences

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe major focus of our research is to understand the molecular basis of inherited Parkinson's Disease (PD). We focus on the LRRK2 kinase that is inappropriately activated in PD and how it phosphorylates Rab GTPases, blocking the formation of primary cilia in specific regions of the brain. The absence of primary cilia renders cells unable to carry out Hedgehog signaling that is critical for neuroprotective pathways that sustain dopamine neurons.

  • Harold Westley Phillips

    Harold Westley Phillips

    Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery (Pediatric Neurosurgery)

    BioH. Westley Phillips, MD is an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at Stanford University where he is a neurosurgeon-scientist specializing in pediatric neurosurgery with a special interest in epilepsy. Dr. Phillips received his undergraduate degree at Yale University where he was a member of the Varsity Football Team and received a Fulbright Scholarship. He completed an MD at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating with a certificate of distinction in the Clinical Neuroscience Training Program. He completed neurosurgical residency at UCLA where he received 2 years of NIH funding to investigate the genetic underpinnings of epilepsy. He received fellowship training in pediatric epilepsy surgery and genetics research at Boston Children’s Hospital as well as pediatric neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh before his arrival at Stanford. At Stanford, Dr. Phillips leads a molecular genetics laboratory and has a particular interest in defining and further understanding somatic mosaicism and its role in epileptogenesis. He has published manuscripts in leading academic journals including Nature: Genetics, JAMA Neurology, Journal of Neuroscience, Scientific Reports, Epilepsia and Neurology. He is dedicated to improving the treatment and outcomes for children with drug resistant epilepsy through innovative research and cutting-edge surgical techniques.

  • Sharon Pitteri

    Sharon Pitteri

    Associate Professor (Research) of Radiology (Cancer Early Detection-Canary Center)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe Pitteri laboratory is focused on the discovery and validation of proteins that can be used as molecular indicators of risk, diagnosis, progression, and recurrence of cancer. Proteomic technologies, predominantly mass spectrometry, are used to identify proteins in the blood that are differentially regulated and/or post-translationally modified with disease state. Using human plasma samples, tumor tissue, cancer cell lines, and genetically engineered mouse models, the origins of these proteins are being investigated. A major goal of this research is to define novel molecular signatures for breast and ovarian cancers, including particular sub-types of these diseases. This laboratory is also focused on the identification of proteins with expression restricted to the surface of cancer cells which can be used as novel targets for molecular imaging technologies.

  • Sylvia K. Plevritis, PhD

    Sylvia K. Plevritis, PhD

    Professor of Biomedical Data Science and of Radiology (Integrative Biomedical Imaging Informatics at Stanford)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research program focuses on computational modeling of cancer biology and cancer outcomes. My laboratory develops stochastic models of the natural history of cancer based on clinical research data. We estimate population-level outcomes under differing screening and treatment interventions. We also analyze genomic and proteomic cancer data in order to identify molecular networks that are perturbed in cancer initiation and progression and relate these perturbations to patient outcomes.

  • Kilian M Pohl

    Kilian M Pohl

    Professor (Research) of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Major Labs and Incubator)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe foundation of the laboratory of Associate Professor Kilian M. Pohl, PhD, is computational science aimed at identifying biomedical phenotypes improving the mechanistic understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders. The biomedical phenotypes are discovered by unbiased, machine learning-based searches across biological, neuroimaging, and neuropsychological data. This data-driven discovery currently supports the adolescent brain research of the NIH-funded National Consortium on Alcohol and NeuroDevelopment in Adolescence (NCANDA) and the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD), the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the US. The laboratory also investigates brain patterns specific to alcohol use disorder and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) across the adult age range, and have advanced the understanding of a variety of brain diseases including schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, glioma, and aging.

  • Russell Poldrack

    Russell Poldrack

    Albert Ray Lang Professor of Psychology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur lab uses the tools of cognitive neuroscience to understand how decision making, executive control, and learning and memory are implemented in the human brain. We also develop neuroinformatics tools and resources to help researchers make better sense of data.

  • Ada Poon

    Ada Poon

    Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur research focuses on providing theoretical foundations and engineering platforms for realizing electronics that seamlessly integrate with the body. Such systems will allow precise recording or modulation of physiological activity, for advancing basic scientific discovery and for restoring or augmenting biological functions for clinical applications.

  • Matthew Porteus

    Matthew Porteus

    Sutardja Chuk Professor of Definitive and Curative Medicine

    BioDr. Porteus was raised in California and was a local graduate of Gunn High School before completing A.B. degree in “History and Science” at Harvard University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and wrote an thesis entitled “Safe or Dangerous Chimeras: The recombinant DNA controversy as a conflict between differing socially constructed interpretations of recombinant DNA technology.” He then returned to the area and completed his combined MD, PhD at Stanford Medical School with his PhD focused on understanding the molecular basis of mammalian forebrain development with his PhD thesis entitled “Isolation and Characterization of TES-1/DLX-2: A Novel Homeobox Gene Expressed During Mammalian Forebrain Development.” After completion of his dual degree program, he was an intern and resident in Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital and then completed his Pediatric Hematology/Oncology fellowship in the combined Boston Chidlren’s Hospital/Dana Farber Cancer Institute program. For his fellowship and post-doctoral research he worked with Dr. David Baltimore at MIT and CalTech where he began his studies in developing homologous recombination as a strategy to correct disease causing mutations in stem cells as definitive and curative therapy for children with genetic diseases of the blood, particularly sickle cell disease. Following his training with Dr. Baltimore, he took an independent faculty position at UT Southwestern in the Departments of Pediatrics and Biochemistry before again returning to Stanford in 2010 as an Associate Professor. During this time his work has been the first to demonstrate that gene correction could be achieved in human cells at frequencies that were high enough to potentially cure patients and is considered one of the pioneers and founders of the field of genome editing—a field that now encompasses thousands of labs and several new companies throughout the world. His research program continues to focus on developing genome editing by homologous recombination as curative therapy for children with genetic diseases but also has interests in the clonal dynamics of heterogeneous populations and the use of genome editing to better understand diseases that affect children including infant leukemias and genetic diseases that affect the muscle. Clinically, Dr. Porteus attends at the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital where he takes care of pediatric patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

  • Kathleen Poston, MD, MS

    Kathleen Poston, MD, MS

    Edward F. and Irene Thiele Pimley Professor of Neurology and the Neurological Sciences and Professor, by courtesy, of Neurosurgery

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research addresses one of the most devastating and poorly treated symptoms that can develop in people with Parkinson's disease - Dementia. We use multi-modal neuroimaging along with genetic and biological markers to understand the different underlying causes of dementia and to understand why dementia develops more quickly in some patients, but not others.

  • Manu Prakash

    Manu Prakash

    Associate Professor of Bioengineering, Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment and Associate Professor, by courtesy, of Oceans and of Biology

    BioWe use interdisciplinary approaches including theory and experiments to understand how computation is embodied in biological matter. Examples include cognition in single cell protists and morphological computing in animals with no neurons and origins of complex behavior in multi-cellular systems. Broadly, we invent new tools for studying non-model organisms with significant focus on life in the ocean - addressing fundamental questions such as how do cells sense pressure or gravity? Finally, we are dedicated towards inventing and distributing “frugal science” tools to democratize access to science (previous inventions used worldwide: Foldscope, Abuzz), diagnostics of deadly diseases like malaria and convening global citizen science communities to tackle planetary scale environmental challenges such as mosquito surveillance or plankton surveillance by citizen sailors mapping the ocean in the age of Anthropocene.

  • James Priest

    James Priest

    Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor, Pediatrics - Cardiology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe Priest lab seeks a better understanding of the genetics and pathogenesis of congenital heart disease using translational genomics, big-data, and vertebrate models of cardiac development.

  • David Prince

    David Prince

    Edward F. and Irene Thiele Pimley Professor of Neurology and the Neurological Sciences, Emeritus

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsExperiments examine
    1)intrinsic properties of neuronal membranes; actions of neurotransmitters that regulate neocortical and thalamic excitability
    2) chronic epileptogenesis following cortical injury; changes in intracortical connectivity and receptors;
    3) effects of early injury and activity on cortical development/maldevelopment Electrophysiological, anatomical and pharmacological techniques employed.
    4. prophylaxis of postraumatic epilepsy
    5. Neocortical interneuronal function/modulation

  • Patrick Lee Purdon

    Patrick Lee Purdon

    Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine and, by courtesy, of Bioengineering

    BioMy research integrates neuroimaging, biomedical signal processing, and the systems neuroscience of general anesthesia and sedation.

    My group conducts human studies of anesthesia-induced unconsciousness, using a variety of techniques including multimodal neuroimaging, high-density EEG, and invasive neurophysiological recordings used to diagnose medically refractory epilepsy. We also develop novel methods in neuroimaging and biomedical signal processing to support these studies, as well as methods for monitoring level of consciousness under general anesthesia using EEG.

  • Lei (Stanley) Qi

    Lei (Stanley) Qi

    Associate Professor of Bioengineering

    BioDr. Lei (Stanley) Qi is Associate Professor of Bioengineering, Sarafan ChEM-H, and a Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator. Dr. Qi is a principal contributor to the development of CRISPR technologies for genome engineering beyond gene editing. His lab created the first nuclease-deactivated Cas9 (dCas9) for targeted gene regulation in cells. His lab has invented a CRISPR toolbox for engineering the epigenome, including CRISPRi and CRISPRa for targeted gene repression and activation, epigenome editing, LiveFISH for real-time DNA/RNA imaging, CRISPR-GO for 3D genome manipulation, CasMINI as a compact CRISPR system for gene therapy, hyperCas12a for multi-gene engineering, and CRISPR antivirals aimed at treating broad RNA viruses.

    Dr. Qi obtained B.S. in Physics and Math from Tsinghua University in 2005, and Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 2012. He was a Systems Biology Faculty Fellow at UCSF between 2012-2014, and joined Stanford faculty in 2014. His research focuses on mammalian synthetic biology, epigenetic engineering, immune cell engineering, directed evolution, and novel approaches for gene therapy.

  • Jian Qin

    Jian Qin

    Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering

    BioJian Qin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Stanford University. His research focuses on development of microscopic understanding of structural and physical properties of soft matters by using a combination of analytical theory, scaling argument, numerical computation, and molecular simulation. He worked as a postdoctoral scholar with Juan de Pablo in the Institute for Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago and with Scott Milner in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University. He received his Ph.D. in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Minnesota under the supervision of David Morse and Frank Bates. His research covers self-assembly of multi-component polymeric systems, molecular origin of entanglement and polymer melt rheology, coacervation of polyelectrolytes, Coulomb interactions in dielectrically heterogeneous electrolytes, and surface charge polarizations in particulate aggregates in the absence or presence of flow.

  • Stephen Quake

    Stephen Quake

    Lee Otterson Professor in the School of Engineering and Professor of Bioengineering, of Applied Physics and, by courtesy, of Physics

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsSingle molecule biophysics, precision force measurement, micro and nano fabrication with soft materials, integrated microfluidics and large scale biological automation.