Research Interests

Principal Scholarly Interests

My research interests are in the development and integration of theoretical, computational, and experimental tools for basic neuroscience research and clinical applications. My lab focuses on an emerging area of science often referred to as Neural Engineering. This interdisciplinary area has witnessed revolutionary progress in the last few years, mainly attributed to striking advances in the engineering of measurement devices, processing algorithms, and sophisticated models of brain function at multiple temporal and spatial resolutions.

In the short term, my lab focuses on Brain Machine Interface (BMI) technology, broadly defined to be a direct communication pathway between a human (or animal) brain (or cell culture) and a man-made device. The later can be a simple electrode, an active circuit on a silicon chip, or even a network of computers. With this technology, my lab seeks to: 1) Improve our understanding of the neural basis for sensorimotor integration; 2) build adequate models of neuronal connectivity at multiple temporal and spatial scales, and validate these models experimentally; and 3) Quantify how neural information processing mechanisms may be altered in the pathological state and how they can be manipulated through interactions with these artificial devices with the ultimate goal to restore damaged human function such as hearing, sight and movement.

Over the long term, my research seeks to integrate these tools with systems biology to understand the role of molecular and genetic regulation mechanisms on neural regeneration, growth and connectivity at the single cell, population and network levels. Because of its interdisciplinary nature, research in my lab builds heavily upon the fields of computational and experimental neuroscience, clinical neurology, signal processing, information theory, dynamic systems, materials science, and nanotechnology.

An overview of research activities and active projects currently undergoing in my lab can be found at the Oweiss Lab.