Prof. Edward S Boyden

Y Eva Tan Professor in Neurotechnology
Leader, Synthetic Neurobiology Group
Professor of Biological Engineering and Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Co-Director, MIT Center for Neurobiological Engineering

Primary DLC

Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences

MIT Room: 46-2171C

Areas of Interest and Expertise

Developing and Applying Tools for the Analysis and Engineering of the Brain
Neurotechnology
Neural Circuit Analysis and Engineering
Novel Neurological Disase Treatments
Optical and Molecular Tools for Neuroscience
Synthetic Neurobiology
Neuroengineering
BRAIN Initiative: Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies

Research Summary

Boyden's group, centered in the MIT Media Lab and jointly affiliated with the MIT Department of Biological Engineering and the MIT Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, works on inventing new tools for the analysis and engineering of brain circuits. We have been developing molecules, hardware, and methods to activate,silence, record, and analyze neural activity and circuit signaling, within and between brain circuits. We also work on novel, focal, noninvasive methods for human brain stimulation.

Boyden also seek to discover the principles of how to use these tools optimally, both for repairing neurological and psychiatric pathologies, and revealing principles of brain circuit operation. Ideally the group will develop new approaches to solving major unaddressed problems in neuroscience, and to repair the neural computations corrupted in disease states such as Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, and schizophrenia.

Boyden recently received, amongst major recent awards, the Research Award for Innovation in Neuroscience from the Society for Neuroscience, the NIH Director's New Innovator Award, and election to Discover Magazine's "20 Best Brains Under 40."

Recent Work

  • Video

    Edward Boyden - 2017 Health Conf

    September 26, 2017Conference Video Duration: 29:12

    New Tools for Understanding and Engineering the Brain

    Understanding the brain could lead to new kinds of computational algorithms and artificial intelligences, as well as treatments for intractable disorders that affect over a billion people worldwide. However, the brain is a very complex, densely wired circuit, and understanding how it works has remained elusive. In order to map how these circuits are organized, and control their complex dynamics, we are building new tools, which include methods for physically expanding brain circuits so that we can see their building blocks, as well as molecules that make neural circuits controllable by light. Through these tools we aim to enable the systematic analysis and repair of the brain.

    2017 MIT Health Sensing & Imaging Conference

    Edward Boyden - 2016_RD_Conf

    November 23, 2016Conference Video Duration: 26:26

    New Tools for Understanding and Engineering the Brain

    Understanding the brain could lead to new kinds of computational algorithms and artificial intelligences, as well as treatments for intractable disorders that affect over a billion people worldwide. However, the brain is a very complex, densely wired circuit, and understanding how it works has remained elusive. In order to map how these circuits are organized, and control their complex dynamics, we are building new tools, which include methods for physically expanding brain circuits so that we can see their building blocks, as well as molecules that make neural circuits controllable by light. Through these tools we aim to enable the systematic analysis and repair of the brain.

    2016 MIT Research and Development Conference