https://www.jackvanhorn.org/research daily 1.0 2025-11-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596411720422-LDFYVTKFC2Q9NCURHW3Q/Brain+on+Books.jpg Research - Studying the Brain Neurology, psychiatry, psychology, etc, have all explored the brain’s form and function. In many explorations, studies focused on indirect measures of brain function. Neuroimaging has allowed the examination of elemental functions of the brain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596411538147-6YCSLM1PHN1NOZBKYMUZ/Brain.jpg Research - Anatomy The brain is an organ. But it is a collection of nuclei and specialized regions which must work together to function properly. Yours is as unique as your fingerprint. Brain Atlases, however, provide a useful frame of reference for detailed examination across individuals. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596411538150-UTR0C09KDT0PYNYO702C/Brain+Apart.jpg Research - Regions of Interest Its only when we consider the constituent parts of the brain that we can understand their unique roles in health in in diseases such as traumatic brain injury. Likewise, my lab has interests in the neuroimaging of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Parkinson’s Disease. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596413554079-OJ85EARC43OL9OJDI7NA/Scholarship.jpg Research - Measuring the brain For a portion of my PhD, I studied how brain asymmetry can be measured both directly and indirectly. The motor performance of right and left handers turned out to have interesting properties. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596415453524-39GIE6H5ZJGA1SQ3HE8P/DEMO_01_20110726_001_002_MPRAGE.jpg Research - Neuroimaging Once I began working with image volumes from positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), my interest was captured and I haven’t looked back since. My very first published paper, published in 1991, was a meta-analysis of the size of the lateral ventricles in schizophrenic patients as measured from CT and MRI scans. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596416015953-M6M2SWYS3H3SRY40CNIW/2016-05-12-modalities-01.jpg Research - Multimodal Neuroimaging represents more than just MRI. It is a family of techniques and methods which provide complimentary information about brain morphology, function, and integrity. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596413698080-LC5VI9H1KTJJBYKJM28J/George.jpg Research - Patient Samples Neuroimaging studies in which I have been involved have explored TBI, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Parkinson’s Disease, the use of alcohol, Schizophrenia, and other clinical disorders. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596415453451-F563DH7UHDVRVHL8JIEE/braintetra.jpg Research - Modeling Since neuroimaging provides ample digital information, it is amenable to advanced computational modeling and visualization. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596461286687-7L2I85258CTJYT43FWVC/Broca.png Research - Sulci and Gyri With such models in hand, the details of the brains anatomy come into focus, can be measured, and displayed. Patterns of cortical sulci and gyri are conserved across people, but they are also unique to the individual, like a fingerprint. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596415454255-2E0TGR8JCRUJHL55MUFM/dti_fa_color.jpg Research - White Matter, matters... More than just anatomy, neuroimaging allows the exploration of white matter fiber pathways in the brain using advanced diffusion imaging methods which track water molecular movement. These methods gave rise to the notion of the human connectome. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596415454020-MO6VUZSQALFU0G1XKSMJ/lefthemispheretubes.jpg Research - Pathways From diffusion imaging, it is possible to isolate the major white matter fiber bundles, measure their properties, and compare neurological and psychiatric disease groups. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596461285251-P9INLIIMCDYJRM8L0ICW/screenshot_092506.png Research - Brain Networks The brain is designed to send, receive, and route information throughout the nervous system. The brain is comprised of internal networks which relay information between various regional ‘nodes’ along interconnecting ‘edges’. Characterizing the properties of such networks is an ongoing area of research. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596414730309-W6W4X0W2GWVZT0P2TYVT/ConnectogramExample.tif.jpg Research - Circles are better Representing brain networks in a circular framework has a number of advantages beyond being an attractive way to present results. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596416015849-08DSN4906E8HP7DXHMQ7/Axial_Claustrum.jpg Research - The Last Brain Region Examining the connectivity of the claustrum is of particular interest. Its function remains a mytery despite it being, for its size, among the most connected regions of the brain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1732742852457-NFYLFFJVTGGMBSNOHCH7/Organoid.PNG Research - Digital Neural Organoids Digital Neural Organoids - or ‘Noids for short - are spherical 3D networks for which the connectivity between nodes follows the mathematics of neuronal signal transmission. These are more than just neural networks - activity propagates around and through the Noids, producing rich and complex patterns of activity as they learn. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596413576715-CXQ6139MFU9T8SHDUQFE/Journal+Cover.jpg Research - Connectomics With tools for mapping, modeling, and characterizing the brain and its network structure, it is possible to explore the connectome of the brain - the set of all connections in the brain as observable using structural and diffusion imaging. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596411832486-LCZ5MSU1U1EJ5LA6B396/journal+array.jpg Research - Publications To find out more about the work I have published on brain imaging, its applications, analysis, etc, please visit Google Scholar for a complete list of peer-reviewed work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596416300217-U7LBD0Q3SSRN2W5S21U1/IMG-4577.jpg Research - Mr. Jefferson's University I am honored and humbled to serve on the faculty at the University of Virginia, where I am Professor of Psychology and Data Science. This combination affords me the ability to blend my interests in the study of the brain with the data science it requires. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596475339651-HVDLEL7GLBGSS1QSZZ29/IMG-4364.jpg Research - Teaching I have taught neuroimaging, neuroanatomy, and quantitative methods to undergraduate and graduate students at Dartmouth College, the University of California Los Angeles, the University of Southern California, and now at the University of Virginia. I have taught groups of 5 up to groups of 200. I have built masters degree programs from the ground up and made substantive contributions to neuroscience doctoral programs. Nothing pleases me more than connecting with students and seeing something sparked in them that contributes to their understanding of brain form, function, and connectivity. I have always worked to give students opportunities for publications in the peer-reviewed literature and to present at local scientific events. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596413676523-L11XAKHXHWJTT0GOM51J/IMG-5102.jpg Research - Research Funding Research funding is critical for the modern science of the brain and the data science that it takes to do well. Over the years, I have been fortunate to have received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, as well as through private philanthropy. Funding has supporting primary research on neuroimaging studies, informatics, as well as training and education. I look forward to any and all opportunities to build my scientific enterprise through collaborative grants. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1732744214258-11PWEVNXHRO8YQCN2340/BDSIL.png Research - The BDSIL I have worked to develop the Biomedical Data Science Innovation Lab (BDSIL) program which seeks to link junior faculty members in the areas of biomedical research and the computational sciences to form new collaborative teams. Topics have included mobile health, the microbiome, single cell dynamics, environmental exposures in rural health, and the integration of brain data across spatiotemporal scales. This is a partnership between the UVA iTHRIV CTSA, UVA Department of Psychology, the UVA School of Data Science, with support from the National Institute for General Medical Sciences. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1602084526068-HQY1S1MDVFXRFM5TVZN6/IMG_2995.JPG Research - Brain Mapping I have been closely involved with the Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM) for many years. I have served as Education Chair, Program Chair, and presently serve on the Scientific Advisory Board as well as chair the OHBM Best Practices Committee. OHBM is the premier community for the study of brain structure and function using neuroimaging methods. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1602085029846-8FKJML16LJ9MJ21P4NKT/centrumsemiovale.jpeg Research - International Activities Contributing to global efforts in the brain and computational sciences is a particularly valued activity. I have held several leadership positions in the Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM) and have been a regular meeting attendee since the society’s founding. I have had a long-standing association with the International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility (INCF) and have enjoyed numerous interactions with the Cuban Neuroscience Center in Havana, Cuba. I was a visiting faculty member at the IMT Scuola Alti Studi in Lucca, Tuscany, Italy in Spring of 2023, and again in 2024. Scientific interactions have taken me to Canada, China, Brazil, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Japan, France, Australia, Singapore, South Korea, Germany, South Africa, Mexico, and many points in between. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1602085219746-GJ10PGVUSF61CE88MMPV/brainspace.png Research - An Integrated System The study of the brain spans many scales of measurement - from synapses to systems. The integration of data collected across these scales is a vexing challenge. In my work I am always looking for ways to integrate differing data types across differing spatiotemporal scales into elegant and comprehensive models. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1678228602848-8G7QCEDH9QBRTE6TMDMG/Jan2023.jpg Research - Neuroinformatics I am the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Neuroinformatics (Springer-Nature). Do consider sending your original research articles, literature reviews, and descriptions of your latest software tools for brain datatypes for publication. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1678228554591-CCXS6XIXGOY0LIBEDFLJ/starman_PNS_small.png Research - The Rest of the Human Connectome The use of advanced neuroimaging technologies to characterize the connectome of the central nervous system has been a major hallmark of success in mapping the living brain in form, function, and connectivity. One of the next challenges is to map “the rest of the human connectome” - that is the central PLUS the peripheral nervous system. If you thought the regular connectome was a data science challenge, you ain’t seen nothing yet! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1678228983652-1SCD2LS6D5CKW77OOYX9/Phineas.PNG Research - About this guy... Neuroscience owes a great debt to this man. The field should reflect on the manner in which he has been treated. Frankly, he deserves better than that. Importantly, his life after his famous injury is as impressive as surviving the injury itself. Thank you, Mr. Gage. May you Rest in Peace. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1732741206968-Y019J2L2CFXLR0DAXAL0/Brains_3Dprint2.jpg Research - Lab Space The Laboratory of Brain and Data Science, located on the second floor of the recently renovated Gilmer Hall on UVA Grounds, has access to the NEO HPC compute cluster, several PCs, a Mac workstation, a large-format HP color poster printer, and twin PRUSA Original XL 3D printers. It’s a nice place to work! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1751551521825-ITRGY1S2FLBWQZLZWX53/OHBM+2025+Education+Award+Small.jpg Research - Awards I am the very proud recipient of the 2025 Education in Neuroimaging Award from the Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM). This award represents contributions to education and training in neuroimaging methods and applications. I am honored and humbled to have been selected. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1678229190106-N4V9QHL3O6TCGI6Q9VZO/65113123_10217437114832054_185315005460119552_n.jpg Research - Personal I was born and raised on a small island in the Puget Sound region of Washington State. I now live with my wife, Susan, and our little parrot, Jasper (pictured here), in Keswick, VA. I have two amazing and wonderful adult daughters. I enjoy traveling, road cycling, reading, fly fishing, aviation, working on my home, and quality time with friends. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1755528150299-GNW4QXPR4JL6MLYHAOOZ/Puget+Sound.jpg Research - Travel I love to travel! Various countries I have visited: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Norway, Singapore, Scotland, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, and Wales. I look forward to adding to this list! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1602085697863-RZYE72SOBE2UN9B06KYA/Tractography.png Research - Get Connected Do feel free to reach out to me with questions about my research and student volunteer opportunities for working in human brain mapping and data science here at UVA! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1749847851950-WDN4D6GRP9O4EQH4S96C/Sumiko-Abe.png Research - Sumiko Abe, Ph.D. University of California, Irvine https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1751404683386-3MXC06ADW0FT7EIVZ1EJ/Ian+Adoremos.jpg Research - Ian Adoremos Master’s Degree Student, University College London https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1749846493427-765HYG7O2BFMHOD8FWNL/Avnish.jpg Research - Avnish Bhattrai, Ph.D. University of Arizona https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1749848247496-0CMAFMEDVV9D2MRPFDE6/Ian+Bowman.jpg Research - Ian Bowman, M.S. University of California Los Angeles https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1750988728943-SODOLW2HNFUQXMBKIXMK/Campbell.jpg Research - Campbell Coleman Stanford University School of Medicine https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1749846496349-SNKEZDE00ZMASNGTV0J3/Rachel.jpg Research - Rachel Edelstein Quantitative Psychology Graduate Student, University of Virginia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1749847715538-FBJAI25RSE1L7J183RDB/Matt+Goh.jpg Research - Matthew Goh, M.S. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1749846493350-I4EI5VUYDDVUZUJAW014/Andrei.jpg Research - Andrei Irimia, Ph.D. University of Southern California https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1749846496982-1EKC8S1VVBIT2U212V9Y/Zach.jpg Research - Zachary Jacokes Data Science Graduate Student, University of Virginia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1749846496172-TQXI39V0I5KE9YQ8XYI5/Jeana.jpg Research - Jeana Kamdar, M.P.H. University of Virginia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1749846495458-S8BW7AO22EZRDECVC883/Hannah.jpg Research - Hannah Kierce University of Virginia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1754691003108-GX6GUNPSUR9L49GT7NDP/Siwen.jpg Research - Siwen Liao UVA Echols Scholar https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1749846494413-5OU1P4RSREEMDKE8DXO5/Courtney.jpg Research - Courtney Marsh, M.A. Quantitative Psychology Graduate Student, University of Virginia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1749846495338-P9CDIF58ZWFISTAQN87K/Ethan.jpg Research - Ethan Nelson, M.S. School of Data Science Graduate Student, University of Virginia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1749846494264-S99WSJBC0MGKR6X3X7Y9/Ben.jpg Research - Benjamin Newman, Ph.D. Benjamin Newman, Ph.D. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1750988745203-X6BXVPT5Q9PLUWKO3JJA/Haylee.jpg Research - Haylee Ressa Department of Psychology, University of Virginia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1749846498551-DH8YAMEF7VA9JBWH2Q66/Carinna.png Research - Carinna Torgerson, Ph.D. Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Southern California https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1750989161734-1QQJDL2NROT2L8LXID9Q/Bettina.jpg Research - Bettina Wagner Department of Psychology, University of Virginia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1749849129478-2EYISJT9K5L35G23M5F3/DigitalTwin1.jpg Research - Your Photo Here! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596413757732-KS36XYTVTVQ8D5MP443G/Teaching.jpg Research https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596468500531-YQ5WS8LO828L21HH00WC/image_00007.png Research https://www.jackvanhorn.org/contact daily 0.75 2020-08-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596483251605-G23BVPZGQ41WTK7G6NG9/image_00023.png Contact https://www.jackvanhorn.org/study-brain-1 daily 0.75 2025-06-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596411720422-LDFYVTKFC2Q9NCURHW3Q/Brain+on+Books.jpg Studying the Brain (Copy) - Studying the Brain (Copy) Neurology, psychiatry, psychology, etc, have all explored the brain’s form and function. In many explorations, studies focused on indirect measures of brain function. Neuroimaging has allowed the examination of elemental functions of the brain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596411538147-6YCSLM1PHN1NOZBKYMUZ/Brain.jpg Studying the Brain (Copy) - Anatomy (Copy) The brain is an organ. But it is a collection of nuclei and specialized regions which must work together to function properly. Yours is as unique as your fingerprint. Brain Atlases, however, provide a useful frame of reference for detailed examination across individuals. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596411538150-UTR0C09KDT0PYNYO702C/Brain+Apart.jpg Studying the Brain (Copy) - Regions of Interest (Copy) Its only when we consider the constituent parts of the brain that we can understand their unique roles in health in in diseases such as traumatic brain injury. Likewise, my lab has interests in the neuroimaging of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Parkinson’s Disease. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596413554079-OJ85EARC43OL9OJDI7NA/Scholarship.jpg Studying the Brain (Copy) - Measuring the brain (Copy) For a portion of my PhD, I studied how brain asymmetry can be measured both directly and indirectly. The motor performance of right and left handers turned out to have interesting properties. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596415453524-39GIE6H5ZJGA1SQ3HE8P/DEMO_01_20110726_001_002_MPRAGE.jpg Studying the Brain (Copy) - Neuroimaging (Copy) Once I began working with image volumes from positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), my interest was captured and I haven’t looked back since. My very first published paper, published in 1991, was a meta-analysis of the size of the lateral ventricles in schizophrenic patients as measured from CT and MRI scans. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596416015953-M6M2SWYS3H3SRY40CNIW/2016-05-12-modalities-01.jpg Studying the Brain (Copy) - Multimodal (Copy) Neuroimaging represents more than just MRI. It is a family of techniques and methods which provide complimentary information about brain morphology, function, and integrity. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596413698080-LC5VI9H1KTJJBYKJM28J/George.jpg Studying the Brain (Copy) - Patient Samples (Copy) Neuroimaging studies in which I have been involved have explored TBI, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Parkinson’s Disease, the use of alcohol, Schizophrenia, and other clinical disorders. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596415453451-F563DH7UHDVRVHL8JIEE/braintetra.jpg Studying the Brain (Copy) - Modeling (Copy) Since neuroimaging provides ample digital information, it is amenable to advanced computational modeling and visualization. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596461286687-7L2I85258CTJYT43FWVC/Broca.png Studying the Brain (Copy) - Sulci and Gyri (Copy) With such models in hand, the details of the brains anatomy come into focus, can be measured, and displayed. Patterns of cortical sulci and gyri are conserved across people, but they are also unique to the individual, like a fingerprint. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596415454255-2E0TGR8JCRUJHL55MUFM/dti_fa_color.jpg Studying the Brain (Copy) - White Matter, matters... (Copy) More than just anatomy, neuroimaging allows the exploration of white matter fiber pathways in the brain using advanced diffusion imaging methods which track water molecular movement. These methods gave rise to the notion of the human connectome. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596415454020-MO6VUZSQALFU0G1XKSMJ/lefthemispheretubes.jpg Studying the Brain (Copy) - Pathways (Copy) From diffusion imaging, it is possible to isolate the major white matter fiber bundles, measure their properties, and compare neurological and psychiatric disease groups. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596461285251-P9INLIIMCDYJRM8L0ICW/screenshot_092506.png Studying the Brain (Copy) - Brain Networks (Copy) The brain is designed to send, receive, and route information throughout the nervous system. The brain is comprised of internal networks which relay information between various regional ‘nodes’ along interconnecting ‘edges’. Characterizing the properties of such networks is an ongoing area of research. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596414730309-W6W4X0W2GWVZT0P2TYVT/ConnectogramExample.tif.jpg Studying the Brain (Copy) - Circles are better (Copy) Representing brain networks in a circular framework has a number of advantages beyond being an attractive way to present results. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596416015849-08DSN4906E8HP7DXHMQ7/Axial_Claustrum.jpg Studying the Brain (Copy) - The Last Brain Region (Copy) Examining the connectivity of the claustrum is of particular interest. Its function remains a mytery despite it being, for its size, among the most connected regions of the brain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1732742852457-NFYLFFJVTGGMBSNOHCH7/Organoid.PNG Studying the Brain (Copy) - Digital Neural Organoids (Copy) Digital Neural Organoids - or ‘Noids for short - are spherical 3D networks for which the connectivity between nodes follows the mathematics of neuronal signal transmission. These are more than just neural networks - activity propagates around and through the Noids, producing rich and complex patterns of activity as they learn. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596413576715-CXQ6139MFU9T8SHDUQFE/Journal+Cover.jpg Studying the Brain (Copy) - Connectomics (Copy) With tools for mapping, modeling, and characterizing the brain and its network structure, it is possible to explore the connectome of the brain - the set of all connections in the brain as observable using structural and diffusion imaging. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596411832486-LCZ5MSU1U1EJ5LA6B396/journal+array.jpg Studying the Brain (Copy) - Publications (Copy) To find out more about the work I have published on brain imaging, its applications, analysis, etc, please visit Google Scholar for a complete list of peer-reviewed work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596416300217-U7LBD0Q3SSRN2W5S21U1/IMG-4577.jpg Studying the Brain (Copy) - Mr. Jefferson's University (Copy) I am honored and humbled to serve on the faculty at the University of Virginia, where I am Professor of Psychology and Data Science. This combination affords me the ability to blend my interests in the study of the brain with the data science it requires. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596475339651-HVDLEL7GLBGSS1QSZZ29/IMG-4364.jpg Studying the Brain (Copy) - Teaching (Copy) I have taught neuroimaging, neuroanatomy, and quantitative methods to undergraduate and graduate students at Dartmouth College, the University of California Los Angeles, the University of Southern California, and now at the University of Virginia. I have taught groups of 5 up to groups of 200. I have built masters degree programs from the ground up and made substantive contributions to neuroscience doctoral programs. Nothing pleases me more than connecting with students and seeing something sparked in them that contributes to their understanding of brain form, function, and connectivity. I have always worked to give students opportunities for publications in the peer-reviewed literature and to present at local scientific events. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1596413676523-L11XAKHXHWJTT0GOM51J/IMG-5102.jpg Studying the Brain (Copy) - Research Funding (Copy) Research funding is critical for the modern science of the brain and the data science that it takes to do well. Over the years, I have been fortunate to have received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, as well as through private philanthropy. Funding has supporting primary research on neuroimaging studies, informatics, as well as training and education. I look forward to any and all opportunities to build my scientific enterprise through collaborative grants. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1732744214258-11PWEVNXHRO8YQCN2340/BDSIL.png Studying the Brain (Copy) - The BDSIL (Copy) I have worked to develop the Biomedical Data Science Innovation Lab (BDSIL) program which seeks to link junior faculty members in the areas of biomedical research and the computational sciences to form new collaborative teams. Topics have included mobile health, the microbiome, single cell dynamics, environmental exposures in rural health, and the integration of brain data across spatiotemporal scales. This is a partnership between the UVA iTHRIV CTSA, UVA Department of Psychology, the UVA School of Data Science, with support from the National Institute for General Medical Sciences. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1602084526068-HQY1S1MDVFXRFM5TVZN6/IMG_2995.JPG Studying the Brain (Copy) - Brain Mapping (Copy) I have been closely involved with the Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM) for many years. I have served as Education Chair, Program Chair, and presently serve on the Scientific Advisory Board as well as chair the OHBM Best Practices Committee. OHBM is the premier community for the study of brain structure and function using neuroimaging methods. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1602085029846-8FKJML16LJ9MJ21P4NKT/centrumsemiovale.jpeg Studying the Brain (Copy) - International Activities (Copy) Contributing to global efforts in the brain and computational sciences is a particularly valued activity. I have held several leadership positions in the Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM) and have been a regular meeting attendee since the society’s founding. I have had a long-standing association with the International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility (INCF) and have enjoyed numerous interactions with the Cuban Neuroscience Center in Havana, Cuba. I was a visiting faculty member at the IMT Scuola Alti Studi in Lucca, Tuscany, Italy in Spring of 2023, and again in 2024. Scientific interactions have taken me to Canada, China, Brazil, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Japan, France, Australia, Singapore, South Korea, Germany, South Africa, Mexico, and many points in between. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1602085219746-GJ10PGVUSF61CE88MMPV/brainspace.png Studying the Brain (Copy) - An Integrated System (Copy) The study of the brain spans many scales of measurement - from synapses to systems. The integration of data collected across these scales is a vexing challenge. In my work I am always looking for ways to integrate differing data types across differing spatiotemporal scales into elegant and comprehensive models. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1678228602848-8G7QCEDH9QBRTE6TMDMG/Jan2023.jpg Studying the Brain (Copy) - Neuroinformatics (Copy) I am the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Neuroinformatics (Springer-Nature). Do consider sending your original research articles, literature reviews, and descriptions of your latest software tools for brain datatypes for publication. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1678228554591-CCXS6XIXGOY0LIBEDFLJ/starman_PNS_small.png Studying the Brain (Copy) - The Rest of the Human Connectome (Copy) The use of advanced neuroimaging technologies to characterize the connectome of the central nervous system has been a major hallmark of success in mapping the living brain in form, function, and connectivity. One of the next challenges is to map “the rest of the human connectome” - that is the central PLUS the peripheral nervous system. If you thought the regular connectome was a data science challenge, you ain’t seen nothing yet! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1678228983652-1SCD2LS6D5CKW77OOYX9/Phineas.PNG Studying the Brain (Copy) - About this guy... (Copy) Neuroscience owes a great debt to this man. The field should reflect on the manner in which he has been treated. Frankly, he deserves better than that. Importantly, his life after his famous injury is as impressive as surviving the injury itself. Thank you, Mr. Gage. May you Rest in Peace. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1732741206968-Y019J2L2CFXLR0DAXAL0/Brains_3Dprint2.jpg Studying the Brain (Copy) - Lab Space (Copy) The Laboratory of Brain and Data Science, located on the second floor of the recently renovated Gilmer Hall on UVA Grounds, has access to the NEO HPC compute cluster, several PCs, a Mac workstation, a large-format HP color poster printer, and twin PRUSA Original XL 3D printers. It’s a nice place to work! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1678229190106-N4V9QHL3O6TCGI6Q9VZO/65113123_10217437114832054_185315005460119552_n.jpg Studying the Brain (Copy) - Personal (Copy) I was born and raised on a small island in the Puget Sound region of Washington State. I now live with my wife, Susan, and our little parrot, Jasper (pictured here), in Keswick, VA. I have two amazing and wonderful adult daughters. I enjoy traveling, road cycling, reading, fly fishing, aviation, working on my home, and quality time with friends. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f273907d19a046d79f48a0a/1602085697863-RZYE72SOBE2UN9B06KYA/Tractography.png Studying the Brain (Copy) - Get Connected (Copy) Do feel free to reach out to me with questions about my research and student volunteer opportunities for working in human brain mapping and data science here at UVA!