Dr. Willett joins Department of Neurosurgery

January 16, 2025 - By Kathryn Sill

The Stanford Department of Neurosurgery celebrates the arrival of Frank Willett, PhD, who joins the department as an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery. Willett is no stranger to Stanford, having previously worked at Stanford as a research scientist in the Neural Prosthetics Translational Lab (NPTL), where he will continue on as co-director.

At NPTL, Willett’s research focused on brain-computer interfaces and motor neuroscience. More broadly, he is interested in computational approaches to understanding brain function and recordings, including artificial neural network models.

Originally from Arizona, Willett moved to the Midwest to pursue his undergraduate studies at the University of Chicago. There, he joined the Hatsopoulos Lab, where he was first introduced to brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, which helps patients with neurological disease or injury control external devices with signals from their brain.

He received his PhD at Case Western Reserve University, where he studied under the mentorship of Abidemi Bolu Ajiboye, PhD, associate chair in the Case School of Engineering. During this time, they had their first human patient, who had a spinal cord injury. They used a BCI muscle stimulator that allowed the patient to control the movement of their arm and hand. That lab partnered with BrainGate, a collaboration that brings together different institutions focused on BCI studies.

Dr. Willett's faculty appointment begins on January 16, 2025.

We spoke with Dr. Willett to learn more about his career journey:

What influenced you to pursue neuroscience as a career?

As a child I wanted to be a computer game programmer when I grew up. I was really interested in how to make agents in those games behave intelligently. From there my interest in computers and artificial intelligence continued to grow. I quickly became fascinated by how artificial agents could mimic actions that humans perform, and how the human brain makes decisions. So, when I started my collegiate training in Chicago, joining a lab focused on brain research seemed like an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. And when I learned about brain-computer interfaces, it seemed like a great way to study the brain while building something that could help people directly.
 

How did your training at these different institutions play a pivotal role in preparing you to lead your lab in Neurosurgery now?

When I first started undergrad, I was unsure about my long-term career plan, but being a part of the Hatsopoulos Lab showed me how rewarding academic research can be. I wouldn’t be where I am today without that experience. I spent so much time in that lab soaking up as much knowledge and experience as I could in neuroscience and brain-computer interfaces.

Then, I chose to complete my PhD at Case Western, because Dr. Ajiboye’s Lab was some of the first to participate in groundbreaking work to combine muscle stimulation with brain-computer interfaces. I wanted to experience being on the front lines of clinically translating an idea for the first time, and to create BCI technologies that might help improve a person’s quality of life. I had great support from my advisor there, who encouraged me to explore a wide range of research ideas, so my time there was quite formative.

Finally, working here at Stanford with Dr. Shenoy and Dr. Henderson taught me that research is about people - when people are prioritized, valued and thrive, research flourishes most. It’s an honor and privilege to continue working here with such an exceptional team.
 

Can you tell us more about your research? 

My research focus at Stanford continues in BCI, specifically in restoring communication to patients who have been severely paralyzed. In ALS for example, control of muscle activity is progressively lost, leading to locked-in syndrome (LiS) where communication may only be possible through eye movements.

My collaborators and I have been exploring ways to allow patients like this to communicate again at a normal pace. A couple of years ago we did a BCI based on handwriting, which set new records on typing speeds. Then, very recently we started investigating how BCI can be used to create speech, because speech is the fastest way we communicate. So far, we have found a way to decode what a person with ALS is trying to say and set a record communication rate at around 60 words per minute. At the time, that was the fastest BCI that had ever been reported.
 

What are some hobbies you enjoy outside of work?

I am part of a chess club that meets weekly, and I have also competed in chess tournaments across the Bay Area. I find it’s a fun way to connect with people and enjoy a hobby outside of work.