Miguel Nicolelis - Bio-sketch

Dr. Miguel Nicolelis is the Anne W. Deane Professor of Neuroscience and Professor of Neurobiology, Biomedical Engineering and Psychology at Duke University. He is also Co-Director of Duke Center for Neuroengineering; Professor of Neuroscience at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) and Co-Founder and Scientific Director of the Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute for Neuroscience of Natal. Dr. Nicolelis is a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil where he received his M.D. and Ph.D. in Neurophysiology from the University of Sao Paulo.

Although Dr. Nicolelis is best known for his study of Brain Machine Interfaces (BMI) for neuroprosthetics in human patients and non-human primates, he is also developing an integrative approach to studying neurological and psychiatric disorders by recording neuronal ensemble activity across different brain areas in genetically modified mice. Dr. Nicolelis believes that this approach will allow the integration of molecular, cellular, systems, and behavioral data in the same animal, producing a more complete understanding of the nature of the alterations associated with these disorders.

He was named one of Scientific American’s Top 50 Technology Leaders in America in 2004 and has twice received the DARPA Award for Sustained Excellence by a Performer. Other honors include the Whitehead Scholar Award: Ruth and Morris Williams, Jr. Faculty Research Prize; Whitehall Foundation Award; McDonnell-Pew Foundation Award; Duke University Thomas Langford Lectureship Award; the Ramon y Cajal Chair at the University of Mexico; and the Santiago Grisolia Chair at Catedra Santiago Grisolia. He has authored more than 130 manuscripts, and edited numerous books and special journal issues.