Nanodevices for probing neural circuits

Date
Mar 30, 2018, 4:30 pm4:30 pm
Location
B205 Engineering Quadrangle

Speaker

Details

Event Description

Abstract:
Technological advances in nanoscale materials and devices are allowing us to manipulate and measure brain activity with unprecedented precision. These new neurotechnologies thus open the door to a deeper understanding of the brain and improved methods to treat brain disorders.
In this talk, I will discuss how nanotechnologies for probing the brain of small invertebrates (C. elegans and Hydra) may inform the development of high-bandwidth human brain interfaces. I will then discuss how we might realize these high-bandwidth interfaces with flat implantable microscopes and magnetically activated materials. Together these advances in nano-neurotechnologies provide a path to better understand the brain and manipulate its activity to treat disease.
 
Bio:
Jacob Robinson is an Assistant Professor in Electrical & Computer Engineering and Bioengineering at Rice University, and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in Neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Robinson earned a B.S. in Physics from UCLA and Ph. D. in Applied Physics from Cornell. Following his Ph. D., he worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the Chemistry Department at Harvard University. Dr. Robinson joined Rice University in 2012 where he currently works on nanoelectronic, nanophotonic and nanomagnetic technologies to manipulate and measure brain activity. Dr. Robinson is currently a co-chair of the IEEE Brain Initiative, and the recipient of a Hammill Innovation Award, NSF NeuroNex Innovation Award, and a DARPA Young Faculty Award.
 
This seminar is supported with funds from the Korhammer Lecture Series