Investigator Program
The O'Donnell Brain Institute Investigator Program was established to create a mutually beneficial partnership that incorporates the very best brain research happening across UT Southwestern to most effectively and rapidly advance discoveries. In addition, the program fosters scholarly excellence and enhances connections among faculty. Learn more about the program and how to apply.
Meet the OBI Investigators
Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and O'Donnell Brain Institute
Research Interests: Neural circuits for language and cognition in humans
Assistant Professor, Neurological Surgery
Research Interests:
Neuronal mechanisms of cognitive control, an ability that allows us to focus on our goals
Professor, Neuroscience
Research Interests: Circadian pacemaker structures that control feeding and locomotor activity rhythms as well as in vivo and environmental factors that influence circadian organization
Cellular, Molecular, and Developmental Neuroscience
Assistant Professor, Neuroscience
Research Interests:
Genome regulation in development, homeostasis, and disease
Professor, Plastic Surgery
Research Interests:
Long gap nerve regeneration and peripheral nerve electrical interfacing
Professor and Director, Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases
Research Interests:
Neurodegenerative diseases linked to protein aggregation and the role of prion mechanisms in the normal and abnormal physiology of protein amyloids
Associate Professor, Molecular Biology
Research Interests:
How metabolism intersects with brain function in the context of neurological disease
Professor, Psychiatry
Research Interests:
”Bench to bedside” and back again approach to studying microbiota-brain and immune-brain systems
Professor, Neuroscience
Research Interests:
Molecular mechanism of the mammalian circadian clock and how it controls rhythmic physiology
Professor, Psychiatry
Research Interests:
Molecular mechanisms of circadian clocks and how they regulate rhythms in physiology and behavior
Professor, Neuroscience
Research Interests:
Highly conserved group of receptors and ligands, Ephs and Ephrins, that control the wiring of the brain and spinal cord during development and function as important regulators of synaptic plasticity in the mature nervous system
Assistant Professor, Neurology
Research Interests:
Links between systemic metabolism and Alzheimer’s disease
Associate Professor, Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases
Research Interests:
Mechanisms and regulation of protein folding into pathogenic conformations in disease
Professor, Neuroscience
Research Interests:
Transcriptional control of neural development and neuroendocrine cancers.
Professor, Neuroscience
Research Interests:
Molecular mechanisms by which neuronal stress responses alter functional output in the visual system
Associate Professor, Neuroscience
Research Interests:
Development and function of somatosensory circuitry
Professor, Neuroscience
Research Interests:
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of synapse formation and function
Professor, Neuroscience and Psychiatry
Research Interests:
Uncovering molecular and circuit mechanisms in neurodevelopment, memory formation, and neuropsychiatric disorders
Associate Professor, Internal Medicine and Neuroscience
Research Interests:
Developmental origins and adult circuits that regulate survival behaviors
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry
Research Interests:
How chromatin dynamics and epigenetic mechanisms regulate experience-driven adaptations in behavior and how defects in these processes could underlie the development of addiction and various neuropsychiatric disorders
Professor and Chair, Department of Pathology
Research Interests:
Role of Pin1 in Alzheimers disease
Professor and Chair, Pharmacology
Research Interests:
Physiology and pharmacology of endocrine factors FGF19 and FGF21 and their mechanism of action throughout the body with a focus on the nervous system
Professor and Division Chief, Pediatric Neurology
Research Interests:
Basic mechanisms of Lafora disease and polyglucosan body formation; gene therapy for neurological diseases
Professor, Neurology
Research Interests:
Mechanism(s) of neuroinflammation in patient populations that will facilitate the development of therapies to prevent long-term deficits.
Professor, Biophysics and Biochemistry
Research Interests:
Molecular mechanisms underlying neurotransmitter release and its regulation
Assistant Professor, Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases
Research Interests:
Structural study of amyloid assemblies involved in Alzheimer's and other amyloid disorders to develop tools for early detection and treatment
Chief of Neurology, Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Professor, Neurology
Research Interests:
Molecular and cellular markers of autoimmunity, immune tolerance, and experimental therapies for autoimmune disorders
Assistant Professor, Molecular Biology
Research Interests:
Fundamental principles that govern the communications between nerve cells and glial cells in health and disease
Assistant Professor, Neuroscience
Research Interests:
Function and pharmacology of mechano-sensitive PIEZO1 channels and related disorders
Professor and Chair, Neuroscience
Research Interests:
Molecular and genetic basis of circadian clocks and their role in behavior, physiology, metabolism, and aging
Professor, Neuroscience
Research Interests:
Mechanisms underlying the shaping, motility, and remodeling of cells with a focus on how axons and dendrites form, extend, navigate, and can be encouraged to regenerate
Associate Professor, Neuroscience
Research Interests:
Mechanisms and disorders of learning and memory integrating studies of molecular and synaptic plasticity with experience-dependent modification of neural circuits
Associate Professor, Pathology
Research Interests:
Mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress and DNA damage-induced PARP-1-dependent cell death (PARthanatos) in stroke, traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative diseases
Associate Professor, Physiology
Research Interests:
Epigenetic regulation of neural development, autism and pediatric brain cancer
Professor, Molecular Biology
Research Interests:
Glial cells (astrocytes, NG2 glia, and microglia) reprogramming their behaviors or fates to promote neural protection and regeneration
Clinical Neuroscience and Therapeutics
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics and Neurology
Research Interests:
Treatment and surveillance of Rett disease and related disorders
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics and Neurology
Research Interests:
Therapies for pediatric neuromuscular disorders, as well as natural history and biomarker studies to assess clinical trial readiness for rare disorders
Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology & Pain Management
Research Interests:
Development and clinical translation of optical monitors of CNS hemodynamics and injury
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry
Research Interests:
Therapies to improve quality of life for individuals with severe psychiatric and neurological disorders
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics
Research Interests:
AAV-based gene therapy for neurological diseases
Assistant Professor, Pathology
Research Interests:
applications of clinically important molecular genetic and immunohistochemical markers in central nervous system tumors and neurodegenerative diseases
Associate Professor, Neurology
Research Interests:
Cognitive comorbidity in patients with traumatic brain injury and epilepsy
Associate Professor, Pediatrics
Research Interests:
Translational survey and registry study for Lafora disease
Professor, Pediatrics
Research Interests:
Developing and testing AAV vectors to conduct translational gene therapy research for nervous system disorders
Nneka Ifejika, M.D.
Adjunct Professor, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Research Interests:
Impact of variations in the processes of acute stroke care on recovery during the first 90 days
Professor, Psychiatry
Research Interests:
Impact of psychosocial (i.e., behavioral, emotional, attitudinal, social, personality, and interpersonal) factors, including treatment and intervention, on health, particularly in mood and related disorders
Associate Professor, Psychiatry
Research Interests: Development of novel treatments for psychiatric disorders including depression and substance use disorders by understanding the underlying biological mechanisms
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry
Research Interests:
Care of people living with functional neurological disorder (FND)
Associate Professor, Psychiatry
Research Interests:
Pathway for onset of Alzheimer’s Clinical Syndrome involving amnestic mild cognitive impairment and dementia from a history of traumatic brain injury
Associate Professor, Psychiatry
Research Interests:
Understanding how social stimuli are altered in psychiatric illnesses; our program utilizes neuroimaging to examine social interactions and perceptions in patients with disordered eating
Associate Professor, Bioinformatics
Research Interests:
Analytical tools that enable improved understanding of neurological disorders and treatment mechanisms by creating new interpretable predictive models
Asscoiate Professor, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Research Interests:
Understanding the changes in autonomic nervous system and cerebrovascular function after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and how these relate to long-term functional, medical, and cognitive outcomes
Professor and Chair, Neurological Surgery
Research Interests: Intracranial human neurophysiological investigations of brain mechanisms regulating motor control, mood, and consciousness and the mechanisms of therapeutic interventions
Associate Professor, Neurology
Research Interests:
Design, analysis, and interpretation of clinical trials and epidemiologic studies with a heavy focus in the area of Multiple Sclerosis
Assistant Professor, Neurology
Research Interests:
Advanced diagnostic imaging of neuro-ophthalmological disorders, as well as unraveling the neuro-retinal circuitry in neuroimmunological diseases.
Assistant Professor, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Research Interests:
Brain functional plasticity associated with hand/arm motor and sensory impairments in patients with motor deficits and Targeted neuromodulation to induce brain functional plasticity and promote motor functions
Professor and Chair, Psychiatry
Research Interests:
Psychosis pathophysiology and treatment, including schizophrenia
Professor, Psychiatry
Research Interests:
Understanding the neurobiology and psychology of depression and bipolar disorder with a focus on developing an empirical basis for improving treatment of depression
Assistant Professor, Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases
Research Interests:
Novel diagnostics and therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases associated with protein amyloid formation, including Alzheimer's disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), and Parkinson's disease
Professor, Neurology
Research Interests:
Characterization and treatment of clinical autonomic disorders with a particular interest in the autoimmune/immunophenotype of dysautonomia
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics
Research Interests:
Clinical management and patient outcomes in disorders such as ADEM, NMOSD, MOGAD, MS, and autoimmune encephalitis
Associate Professor, Pediatrics
Research Interests:
Structural and functional anatomy of dystonia, a movement disorder found in children and adults
Associate Professor, Neurology
Research Interests:
Improving health care quality and outcomes in patients with cardiovascular disease and stroke
Professor, Neurology
Research Interests:
Understanding the impact of cardiovascular risk factors and lifestyle changes on brain aging and prevention of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias
Computational and Theoretical Neuroscience
Associate Professor, Bioinformatics
Research Interests: Artificial neural network models of cognitive processes, and molecular modeling of protein aggregation in Alzheimer’s disease
Assistant Professor, Bioinformatics
Research Interests: Bridging neural circuits and cognition via computational neuroscience
Neurobiology of Disease
Professor, Physiology
Research Interests: Neuronal calcium signaling and pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders - Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, spinocerebellar ataxias
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry
Research Interests: Precision medicine approaches for currently available treatments and identifying targets for mechanistically-targeted drug discovery
Professor, Psychiatry
Research Interests: Blood biomarkers for neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders
Professor, Neuroscience
Research Interests: Role of autism-linked proteins in postnatal neural circuit development
Professor, Neurology
Research Interests: Mechanisms of resistance to targeted treatment in glioblastoma
Professor, Molecular Genetics
Research Interests:
Develop and exploit novel strategies to combat neurodegenerative diseases and to identify novel druggable pathways to achieve this goal
Assistant Professor, Neurological Surgery
Research Interests: Treatment resistant depression
Professor, Neuroscience
Research Interests: Role of genes linked to neurodevelopmental disorders and their function in postnatal synapse, circuit, and brain development
Associate Professor, Psychiatry
Research Interests: Multimodal brain imaging and cognitive biomarkers of illness course and aging in schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders
Assistant Professor, Genetics
Research Interests:
Genetic diagnoses associated with developmental disabilities (Pallister-Killian syndrome and CBX1-related syndrome)
Panagiotis Mastorakos M.D., Ph.D..
Assistant Professor, Neurological Surgery
Research Interests: Role of the innate immune system in damage and repair following ischemic and hemorrhagic insults to the brain
Assistant Professor, Children's Medical Center Research Institute
Research Interests: How alterations in metabolism affect cell fate and cell function, particularly in brain tumors
Professor, Neurology
Research Interests: Inherited ataxias caused by short tandem repeat expansions
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics
Research Interests: Brain glycogen metabolism and neurological disease - glycogen quality control mechanisms and novel therapeutic strategies for genetic disease with defects in glycogen structure and function
Assistant Professor, Neurology
Research Interests: Novel strategies to target metabolic vulnerabilities in glioma
Assistant Professor, O'Donnell Brain Institute
Research Interests: Molecular and cellular mechanisms of diseases that disrupt the motor system
Associate Professor, Anesthesiology and Pain Management
Research Interests:
Mechanisms of peripheral opioid and cannabinoid analgesia, endogenous ligands for an nociceptors
Professor, Ophthalmology and Neuroscience
Research Interests:
Mechanisms by which neuronal circuits in the visual system are generated and established during development and after injury
Assistant Professor, Bioinformatics
Research Interests: Neurodegenerative diseases, primarily tauopathies, by applying machine learning approaches to neuropathology tissue images.
Vikram Shakkottai, M.D., Ph.D.
Vice Chair for Basic Research and Professor, Neurology
Research Interests: Targeting ion channel dysregulation for the treatment of degenerative cerebellar ataxia
Associate Professor, Internal Medicine
Research Interests: Regulation of airway nociceptive neurons by respiratory pathogens and the role of airway nociceptors in transmission biology of infections
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics
Research Interests: Feedback-enabled gene therapies for rare CNS disorders
Assistant Professor, Neurology
Research Interests: Alzheimer’s Disease and other neurodegenerative conditions that affect memory and cognition
Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology
Research Interests: Mechanisms underlying retinal neurodegenerative disease, and novel therapeutics for these disorders using gene therapy and genome engineering technologies, human stem cell transplantations, and metabolic rescue
Professor, Pathology
Research Interests: Structural changes associated with protein aggregation in the human brain using light microscopy, immunohistochemistry, digital and quantitative microscopy, and machine learning techniques
Associate Professor, Internal Medicine
Research Interests: Understanding at a cellular level the neural control of energy balance and glucose metabolism, and elucidating how these events may participate in human disease
Professor, Neuroscience
Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias
Associate Professor, Orthopaedic Surgery
Research Interests: Neuro-endocrine-immune system mechanisms responsible for the development or perpetuation of chronic pain
Neuroengineering/Neurotechnology
Assistant Professor, Radiology
Research Interests:
Subconcussive head impact exposure in contact sports, imaging of traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, and the use of magnetoencephalography (MEG) in imaging neuronal function.
Professor, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Research Interests:
Neuro-mechanical underpinnings of lower limb impairments after stroke to inform future clinical interventions
Assistant Professor, Advanced Imaging Research Center
Research Interests:
Novel whole-brain functional MRI methods and applying multi-modal neural technologies to understand the mechanisms of reward, learning, and memory in healthy and diseased small animal models
Assistant Professor, Advanced Imaging Research Center
Research Interests:
In vivo MRI histology; Neuroimaging; Advanced MRI methods
Associate Professor, Neurology
Research Interests:
Instrumentation and expertise in high throughput 2D and 3D imaging of nervous tissue from rodent models or clinical specimens
Assistant Professor, Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases
Research Interests:
Macromolecular basis of protein aggregation and propagation in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases within neuronal systems, and new technologies to push boundaries of cryo-EM for near-native molecular imaging in cells and tissues
Assistant Professor, Neurological Surgery
Research Interests:
Experimental brain tumor therapy program with a focus on meningioma immunotherapies
Assistant Professor, Advanced Imaging Research Center
Research Interests:
Brain vascular function in obesity, aging, and mild cognitive impairment
Neurogenetics
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics and Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases
Research Interests:
Gene therapies for monogenetic pediatric disorders, including SLC13A5 epileptic encephalopathy, multiple sulfatase deficiency, Charcot Marie Tooth disease type 4J, giant axonal neuropathy, and ECHS1 deficiency
Associate Professor, Neuroscience
Research Interests:
Interrogating the genome to better understand the mechanisms causing autism spectrum disorder and other neurodevelopmental disorders and inform innovative therapies
Professor and Vice Chair, Neuroscience
Research Interests:
Genetic and molecular mechanisms of human brain evolution and how those processes have been altered in common brain disorders such as autism, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's disease
Professor Emeritus, Pharmacology
Research Interests:
Signal transduction mechanisms and their modulation mediating pheromone and odorant detection in Drosophila melanogaster
Neuroimmunology
Professor, Internal Medicine and Microbiology; Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine
Research Interests:
Fundamental mechanisms of the neuroimmune response in the context of neurodegeneration and responses to infectious diseases
Assistant Professor, Immunology
Research Interests:
How chronic infection, cancer, and aging affect T-cell immunity
Professor and Vice Chair, Immunology
Research Interests:
Innate immune STING signaling mechanisms in neurological diseases.
Neuropsychology
Professor, Psychiatry
Research Interests:
Neuropsychological effects and risk factors for concussion recovery and neurodegenerative conditions, neuropsychological phenotypes in cognitive disorders, cognitive test development, telemedicine applications of neuropsychology
Professor, Psychiatry
Research Interests:
Cultural and bilingual issues in pediatric neuropsychological assessment as well as brain-behavior relationships and outcomes of genetic and neurodevelopmental disorders
Professor, Psychiatry
Research Interests:
Neurocognitive effects of depression and neuromodulation therapeutics
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry
Research Interests:
Concussion and more severe traumatic brain injury
Systems and Circuit Neuroscience
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry
Research Interests:
Development, function, and dysfunction of ascending somatosensory pathways that shape the perception of touch and pain
Professor and Director, Center for Hypothalamic Research
Research Interests:
Mouse genetics to identify circuits in the nervous system that regulate energy balance and glucose homeostasis
Associate Professor, Internal Medicine
Research Interests:
Mechanism underlying the central regulation of metabolic homeostasis, in particular metabolically challenging environments such as exercise, aging, and fasting
Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine
Research Interests:
Mechanisms of how the cerebellar outputs influence the formation and maintenance of healthy brain circuits and functions
Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine
Research Interests:
Molecular anatomy of the central and peripheral neural pathways involved in feeding, energy balance, immunity, and gut-brain communication
Assistant Professor, Physiology
Research Interests:
How neural circuits integrate sensorimotor information, memory, and internal state to guide behavior in order to uncover neural mechanisms that provide animals with behavioral flexibility
Associate Professor, Anesthesiology & Pain Management and Neurological Surgery
Research Interests:
Neurovascular coupling after spreading depolarizations, microcirculatory perfusion in the penumbra, and intraoperative EEG under anesthesia
Associate Professor, Psychiatry
Research Interests:
Neural circuit genetics to investigate neural circuits, memory engrams, and the neurophysiological process for formation, consolidation, and retrieval of episodic memory using a mouse model
Professor, Molecular Biology
Research Interests:
Nuclear receptors and endocrine FGFs and their roles in metabolism and metabolic disease
Associate Professor, Neurological Surgery
Research Interests:
Electrophysiology of human memory using intracranial recordings, fMRI, and gene expression
Assistant Professor, Immunology
Research Interests:
How the enteric nervous system (ENS), known as the “second brain” regulates host defense and behavior using a combination of genetic tools and physiological assays
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry
Research Interests:
Neuronal circuit dissections related to learning and memory
Associate Professor, Neuroscience
Research Interests:
How large-scale networks function to process, store, and retrieve information, focusing on the hippocampal circuit in freely behaving rodents
Assistant Professor, Neuroscience
Research Interests:
Cell-types that mediate pain and pain relief
Associate Professor, Neuroscience
Research Interests:
Identify the neural circuit mechanisms for how young animals learn to imitate social/communicative behaviors from adults and how this form of learning is disrupted in developmental disorders that impact speech
Assistant Professor, Neuroscience
Research Interests:
Neural mechanisms of individual differences in learning from positive and negative feedback
Associate Professor, Radiology
Research Interests:
Transcranial focused ultrasound
Assistant Professor, Otolaryngology
Research Interests:
Interplay between the larynx and brain and its effect on sensorimotor voice disorders
Associate Professor, Neurology
Research Interests:
Neural circuits contributing to cognition and behavior in neurodevelopmental disorders
Associate Professor, Neuroscience
Research Interests:
Develop novel molecular tools and use the tools to delineate memory circuits
Assistant Professor, Neuroscience
Research Interests:
Cortico-hippocampal interactions during memory processes, both in normal states and in diseases such as dementia and psychosis
Professor, Internal Medicine
Research Interests:
Neuronal/hormonal basis for eating, body weight, blood glucose control, and exercise endurance with the ultimate goal of designing new methods to prevent and treat disorders such as obesity, diabetes, cancer cachexia, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis