Faculty

Program Faculty

This badge identifies faculty members who are in good standing with mentor training and are eligible to accept students.

For Faculty

Visit our Advising and Mentoring page for information about:

Joining the program
Accepting rotation students
Accepting students for thesis research
Mentor training workshops
Advising and Mentoring resources

Leadership

Leadership faculty are actively involved in training of Neuroscience program students through participation in program leadership, instruction of program courses, and other service.

Katrin Andreasson

Professor of Neurology

Exceptional Program Service

William Allen

Assistant Professor in the Department of Developmental Biology

Admissions Committee; Exceptional Program Service

Stephen A. Baccus

Professor of Neurobiology

Exceptional Program Service

Anne Brunet

Michele and Timothy Barakett Endowed Professor of Genetics

Exceptional Program Service

Marion Buckwalter

Professor of Neurology and of Neurosurgery

Exceptional Program Service

Lu Chen

Professor of Neurosurgery and of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

First Year Advisor; Exceptional Program Service

Thomas Clandinin

Shooter Family Professor of Neurobiology

Exceptional Program Service

Jun Ding

Associate Professor of Neurosurgery and of Neurology

Admissions Committee; Stanford Immersive Neuroscience Course Instructor; Exceptional Program Service

Shaul Druckmann

Assistant Professor of Neurobiology

Core Course Instructor; Curriculum Committee; Exceptional Program Service

Neir Eshel

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Core Course Instructor; Exceptional Program Service

Ryann Fame

Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery

Admissions Committee; Core Course Instructor; Exceptional Program Service

Justin Gardner

Associate Professor of Psychology

Program Co-Director; Core Course Instructor; Exceptional Program Service

Paul George

Assistant Professor of Neurology

Core Course Instructor; Admissions Committee; DEIB Committee; CGAP Representative; Exceptional Program Service

William Giardino

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Admissions Committee; DEIB Committee Chair; Exceptional Program Service

Erin Gibson

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Core Course Instructor; Exceptional Program Service

Lisa Giocomo

Professor of Neurobiology

Curriculum Committee Co-Chair; Exceptional Program Service

Aaron Gitler

Department of Genetics

Core Course Instructor; Exceptional Program Service

Andrea Goldstein-Piekarski

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Admissions Committee Co-Chair; Mentoring and Advising Committee Co-Chair; Exceptional Program Service

Miriam B. Goodman

Mrs. George A. Winzer Professor of Cell Biology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology

Exceptional Program Service

Deborah M Gordon

Professor of Environmental Biology

Core Course Instructor; Exceptional Program Service

Keren Haroush

Assistant Professor of Neurobiology

Stanford Immersive Neuroscience Course Instructor; Exceptional Program Service

John Hegarty

Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

NSF GRFP Faculty Representative, Exceptional Program Service

Shaul Hestrin

Professor of Comparative Medicine

Exceptional Program Service

John Huguenard

Professor of Neurology

Admissions Committee Co-Chair; Exceptional Program Service

Julia Kaltschmidt

Associate Professor of Neurosurgery

Curriculum Committee Co-Chair; Stanford Immersive Neuroscience Co-Director; Exceptional Program Service

Julie Kauer

Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Mentoring and Advising Committee Co-Chair; Exceptional Program Service

Corey Keller

Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Admissions Committee; Exceptional Program Service

Brian Knutson

Professor of Psychology

First Year Advisor; Exceptional Program Service

Scott W. Linderman

Assistant Professor of Statistics

Exceptional Program Service

Irene L. Llorente

Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery

Admissions Committee; Exceptional Program Service

Liqun Luo

Ann and Bill Swindells Professor of Biology

Exceptional Program Service

Daniel V. Madison

Associate Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology

Core Course Instructor; First Year Advisor; Exceptional Program Service

Merritt Maduke

Associate Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology

Program Co-Director; Mental Health Committee; Exceptional Program Service

Elizabeth Mormino

Associate Professor (Research) of Neurology and Neurological Sciences (Neurology Research)

Admissions Committee; Exceptional Program Service

William Newsome

Harman Family Provostial Professor and Professor of Neurobiology

Exceptional Program Service

Scott Owen

Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery

Stanford Immersive Neuroscience Co-Director; Admissions Committee; Exceptional Program Service

Sergiu P. Pasca

Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Curriculum Committee; Exceptional Program Service

Russell Poldrack

Albert Ray Lang Professor of Psychology

Exceptional Program Service

Anthony J. Ricci

Edward C. and Amy H. Sewall Professor of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery

Exceptional Program Service

Manish Saggar

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Admissions Committee; Exceptional Program Service

Kang Shen

Professor of Biology and of Pathology

Exceptional Program Service

Ivan Soltesz

James R. Doty Professor of Neurosurgery and Neurosciences, Department of Neurosurgery

First Year Advisor; Exceptional Program Service

Yang Sun

Professor of Ophthalmology

Admissions Committee; Exceptional Program Service

Longzhi Tan

Assistant Professor of Neurobiology

Core Course Instructor; DEIB Committee; Exceptional Program Service

Vivianne Tawfik

Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine

Stanford Immersive Neuroscience Instructor; Exceptional Program Service

Suzanne Tharin

Associate Professor of Neurosurgery

Exceptional Program Service

Sui Wang

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

Admissions Committee; Stanford Immersive Neuroscience Instructor; First Year Advisor

Marius Wernig

Professor of Pathology

Exceptional Program Service

Tony Wyss-Coray

D. H. Chen Professor II, Department of Neurology & Neurological Sciences

Exceptional Program Service

Michael Zeineh

Associate Professor of Radiology

Exceptional Program Service

J. Bradley Zuchero

Associate Professor of Neurosurgery

Curriculum Committee; Stanford Immersive Neuroscience Co-Director; Exceptional Program Service

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Faculty Research Areas

Our faculty are highly distinguished scientists who have made fundamental discoveries in all areas of neuroscience from molecules to cognition and have international reputations for excellence in research.

Click here to view the research areas of our faculty.

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Preceptors

Preceptors are participating faculty in our predoctoral training program.

Monther Abu-Remaileh

Our lab is interested in identifying novel pathways that enable cellular and organismal adaptation to metabolic stress and changes in environmental conditions. We also study how these pathways go awry in human diseases such as cancer, neurodegeneration and metabolic syndrome, in order to engineer new therapeutic modalities.

Raag Airan

We develop new techniques for interacting with and manipulating the nervous system, to better understand it, and to develop new treatment strategies.

William Allen

We study the fundamental principles of biological resilience: how living systems replace parts, compensate for damage, and adapt to stress to maintain function over time.

Katrin Andreasson

We are investigating the role that innate immune responses play in the initiation and progression of neurological diseases.

Stephen A. Baccus

We study the function, mechanisms, and theory of how neural circuits perform computations.

Laren Becker

My research has been exploring the interplay between immune cells and the enteric nervous system.

Kwabena Boahen

Our group has two synergistic goals: To understand how brains work and to build computers that work like brains.

Anne Brunet

Our lab studies the molecular basis of longevity and age-related diseases.

Paul Buckmaster

Our long-term goal is to better understand the pathophysiological mechanisms of temporal lobe epilepsy so that rational and effective therapies can be developed.

Marion Buckwalter

We use basic and clinical research to understand the cells, proteins, and genes that lead to successful recovery of function, and also how complications develop that impact quality of life after stroke.

Lu Chen

The long-term goal of my research is to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie synapse function during behavior in the developing and mature brain, and how synapse function is altered during mental retardation.

Xiaoke Chen

Our goal is to understand how brain circuits mediate motivated behaviors and how maladaptive changes in these circuits cause mood disorders.

E.J. Chichilinisky

The goal of our research is to develop an artificial retina -- an electronic implant that will restore vision to people blinded by retinal degeneration.

Thomas Clandinin

My lab seeks to understand how the brain computes at the cellular and molecular level.

Todd Coleman

Dr. Coleman's research uses applied mathematics, physiology, and bioelectronices to understand intra- and inter-organ function and develop novel ways to quantify and/or combat illness.

Luis de Lecea

My lab uses molecular, optogenetic, anatomical and behavioral methods to identify and manipulate the neuronal circuits underlying brain arousal, with particular attention to sleep and wakefulness transitions.

Karl Deisseroth

We are interested both in natural behaviorally-relevant neural circuit dynamics, and in pathological dynamics underlying neuropsychiatric disease symptomatology and treatment.

Shaul Druckmann

Our research goal is to understand how dynamics in neuronal circuits relate and constrain the representation of information and computations upon it.

Laramie Duncan

We study genetic and environmental effects on mental health.

Neir Eshel

My research interests include include the use of optogenetic, electrophysiological, neuroimaging, and behavioral approaches to probe the neural circuits of reward processing, decision making, and social behavior.

Ryann Fame

My research encompasses the early neural stem cell niche, neural tube closure, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), metabolism, and cortical neuronal development.

Lawrence Fung

My work focuses on autism and neurodiversity, using novel neuroimaging and bioanalytical technologies to advance the understanding of neural bases of human socio-communicative and cognitive functions.

Xiaojing Gao

Our engineering targets include biomolecules, molecular circuits, viruses, and cells, and our approach combines quantitative experimental analysis with computational simulation. The molecular tools we build will be applied to diverse fields such as neurobiology and cancer therapy.

Surya Ganguli

Theoretical / computational neuroscience

Justin Gardner

We use a combination of functional magnetic resonance imaging, computational modeling and analysis, and psychophysical measurements to link human perception to cortical brain activity.

Paul George

Our lab's research focuses on improving stroke diagnostics as well as engineering new methods to enhance stroke recovery.

William Giardino

My lab aims to decipher the neural mechanisms underlying psychiatric conditions of stress, addiction, and sleep disturbances.

Erin Gibson

The Gibson Lab studies the cellular and molecular mechanisms modulating glia.

Lisa Giocomo

My laboratory studies the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the organization of cortical circuits important for spatial navigation and memory.

Aaron Gitler

We use the baker’s yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as a model system to study the cell biology underpinning protein-misfolding diseases like Parkinson's disease and ALS.

Jeffrey Goldberg

We conduct research on molecular mechanisms of survival and regeneration in the visual system, retinal development and stem cell biology, and nanoparticles and tissue engineering.

Andrea Goldstein-Piekarski

Our research combines human neuroimaging, high-density EEG sleep recording, and computational modeling to understand the neural mechanisms through which sleep disruption contributes to affective disorders, particularly depression, across the lifespan.

Miriam B. Goodman

We study the molecular events that give rise to the sensation of touch and temperature using C. elegans nematodes as a model system.

Ian Gotlib

My lab studies the psychobiology of depression, anxiety, & early adversity.

Kalanit Grill-Spector

Our research utilizes functional imaging (fMRI),diffusion weighted imaging (DWI), computational techniques, and behavioral methods to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying visual recognition in humans.

Keren Haroush

Our laboratory studies the mechanisms by which highly complex behaviors are mediated at the neuronal level, mainly focusing on the example of dynamic social interactions and the neural circuits that drive them.

Jaimie Henderson

John and Jene Blume - Robert and Ruth Halperin Professor of Neurosurgery

Shaul Hestrin

The main interest of my lab is to understand how the properties of neocortical neurons, the circuits they form and the inputs they receive give rise to neuronal activity and behavior.

Hadi Hosseini

Our lab’s research portfolio crosses multiple disciplines including computational neuropsychiatry, cognitive neuroscience, multimodal neuroimaging and neurocognitive rehabilitation.

Ting-Ting Huang

We study the role of oxygen free radicals in oxidative tissue damage and degeneration.

John Huguenard

We conduct studies of thalamocortical epilepsy and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Keith Humphreys

Esther Ting Memorial Professor and Professor, by courtesy, of Health Policy

Julia Kaltschmidt

The lab’s goal is to understand the molecular basis of neuronal circuit formation. We are particularly interested in circuits that underlie locomotion, sexual function and gut motility.

Julie Kauer

We are interested in the molecular mechanisms involved in synaptic transmission and plasticity using electrophysiological, optogenetic and behavioral tools in mouse brain and spinal cord.

Corey Keller

The overarching goal of my lab is to improve brain stimulation treatment for neurological and psychiatric disease.

Juliet Knowles

The Knowles lab conducts basic, translational and clinical research to study how seizures shape white matter, and how changes in white matter shape the course of epilepsy and its co-morbidities.

Brian Knutson

My lab and I seek to elucidate the neural basis of emotion (affective neuroscience), and explore implications for decision-making (neuroeconomics) and psychopathology (neurophenomics).

Mark Krasnow

Our current research interests include lung development and stem cells, neural circuits of breathing and speaking, lung diseases including lung cancer, and new genetic model organism for biology, behavior, health and conservation

Richard Lewis

Our lab studies calcium signaling mechanisms and their consequences for cell behavior, with a particular focus on store-operated calcium channels.

Michael Lin

The Lin Lab applies chemical and physical principles to develop new methods to image and control biological processes.

Scott W. Linderman

We work at the intersection of machine learning and computational neuroscience, developing statistical methods to analyze large scale neural data.

Irene L. Llorente

My research interests are directed toward understanding the biology of white matter repair in central nervous system disorders with an emphasis on human glial biology.

Liqun Luo

Our current research includes assembly of the fly olfactory circuit, assembly of neural circuits in the mouse brain, organization and function of neural circuits, and tool development.

Daniel V. Madison

Our laboratory is interested in the basic function, plasticity and modulation of Central Nervous System synapses, including studies of the detailed structure and protein content of synapses in different plastic states.

Merritt Maduke

My laboratory studies the molecular mechanisms of ion channels and transporters.

Robert Malenka

A major goal of my laboratory is to elucidate the specific molecular events that are responsible for the triggering of various forms of synaptic plasticity and the modifications in synaptic proteins that are responsible for changes in synaptic efficacy.

Jay McClelland

My research addresses topics in perception and decision making; learning and memory; language and reading; semantic cognition; and cognitive development.

Emmanuel Mignot

Most of my current research focuses on the neurobiology, genetics and immunology of narcolepsy.

Tirin Moore

We study neural mechanisms of visual-motor integration and the neural basis of cognition (e.g. attention).

Michelle Monje

The Monje Lab studies the molecular and cellular mechanisms of postnatal neurodevelopment.

Elizabeth Mormino

Dr. Mormino's research 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.

William Newsome

The long-term goal of our research is to understand the neuronal processes that mediate visual perception and visually guided behavior.

Teresa Nicolson

Our aim is to understand the molecular basis of hearing and balance.

Paul Nuyujukian

Our group, the Brain Interfacing Laboratory, explores basic motor systems neuroscience and neuroengineering applications.

Scott Owen

The Owen lab studies how neuromodulation can shape the activity of targeted cell types and circuits to guide behavior.

Sergiu P. Pasca

My lab seeks to understand the rules that govern the assembly of the human brain and the molecular mechanisms that lead to neuropsychiatric disease.

Kilian M. Pohl

The research of my lab focuses on computational neuroscience aimed at identifying biomedical phenotypes to improve the mechanistic understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders.

Russell Poldrack

Our lab uses the tools of cognitive neuroscience to understand how decision making, executive control, and learning and memory are implemented in the human brain.

Lei (Stanley) Qi

We work on technology development for genome engineering, discovery-focused synthetic biology, and epigenetic gene therapy. We aim to develop new technologies for studying the mammalian genome and treating complex diseases.

Wenfei Sun

We explore neural circuits regulating memory and metabolism, integrating neuroscience and endocrinology to tackle cognitive decline and metabolic disorders

Jennifer Raymond

My laboratory studies the neural mechanisms of learning.

Anthony J. Ricci

We use advanced electrophysiologic, imaging, molecular and pharmacologic techniques to probe mechanisms of mechanotransduction and synaptic transmission at the auditory periphery.

Carolyn Rodriguez

Dr. Rodriguez leads studies investigating the brain basis of severe mental disorders.

Birgitt Schuele

My research focuses on medical genetics and stem cell modeling to unlock disease mechanisms and pathways leading to neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease and related disorders.

Nirao Shah

We study how our brains generate social interactions that differ between the sexes.

Carla Shatz

My research aims to understand how early developing brain circuits are transformed into adult connections during critical periods of development.

Kang Shen

We study fundamental biology questions in the nervous system.

Ivan Soltesz

Our research focuses on inhibitory microcircuits to determine how distinct types of neurons communicate with each other in normal conditions and in epilepsy.

Thomas Sudhof

Our lab explores the synaptic basis of neural circuits: from molecules to behavior.

Longzhi Tan

My lab studies the single-cell 3D genome architectural basis of neurodevelopment and aging by developing the next generation of in vivo multi-omic assays and algorithms, and applying them to the human and mouse cerebellum.

Vivianne Tawfik

My overall research interest is to understand how spinal cord glial cells (astrocytes & microglia) function in health and disease, with a particular focus on how they may promote or block the transition from acute to chronic pain.

Suzanne Tharin

My research encompasses the molecular controls over cortical neuronal development, spinal cord injury, and regenerative strategies for spinal cord repair, including stem cell-based strategies.

Anthony Wagner

My research focuses on the cognitive neuroscience of memory and cognitive/executive control in young and older adults.

Dennis Wall

My lab is focused on developing methods in biomedical informatics to disentangle complex conditions that originate in childhood and perpetuate through the life course, including autism and related developmental delays.

Sui Wang

Our research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms that underlie retinal development and diseases.

Xinnan Wang

The goal of my research is to understand the regulatory mechanisms controlling mitochondrial dynamics and function and the mechanisms by which even subtle perturbations of these processes may contribute to neurodegenerative disorders.

Marius Wernig

Our laboratory is generally interested in the molecular mechanisms that determine specific cell fates.

Leanne Williams

We are defining precision brain circuit biotypes for mood, anxiety and attention disorders and advancing a neuroscience-informed approach to Precision Mental Health for Psychiatry.

Tony Wyss-Coray

Our laboratory studies the role of immune and injury responses in neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's disease.

Daniel Yamins

Our lab's research lies at intersection of neuroscience, artificial intelligence, psychology and large-scale data analysis.

J. Bradley Zuchero

Our lab aims to uncover how glial cells regulate neural development and how their dysfunction contributes to diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS) and in injuries like stroke.

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Affiliates

Faculty affiliates participate in the program by serving on student committees, giving research talks, and engaging in activities throughout the year.