Dr. Michael Maes is a distinguished translational neuroscientist whose pioneering work has reshaped understanding of neuro-immune interactions in psychiatric disorders. He currently serves as Professor at the Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, while maintaining significant affiliations with the IMPACT Strategic Research Center at Barwon Health and Deakin University in Australia. With dual credentials as both an M.D. and Ph.D., Dr. Maes has established himself as a leading authority in psychiatric neuroscience through his rigorous interdisciplinary approach. His career trajectory includes previous clinical work at MCare4U Outpatient Clinics in Antwerp, Belgium, before transitioning to his current prominent academic roles across multiple international institutions.
Dr. Maes is best known for developing the groundbreaking Neuro-Inflammatory and Oxidative Fatigue (NIOF) Theory, which provides a novel framework for understanding the pathophysiology of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome through neuro-immune and oxidative stress biomarkers. His seminal research has demonstrated that deficit schizophrenia represents a distinct neuro-immune disorder characterized by increased neuroimmunotoxicity, gut bacterial translocation, and compromised innate immunity, fundamentally altering the conceptualization of this psychiatric condition. With an impressive H-index exceeding 140 and more than 79,000 citations, his work has been recognized for its exceptional impact, placing him among the top 0.01% of scientists worldwide according to standardized citation metrics. His innovative application of machine learning techniques has led to the identification of major neurocognitive psychosis as a distinct endophenotype class, offering new diagnostic and therapeutic pathways for treatment-resistant psychiatric conditions.
Beyond his individual research contributions, Dr. Maes has played a pivotal role in establishing international research collaborations that bridge psychiatry, immunology, and neuroscience across continents, fostering a more integrated understanding of mind-body interactions in mental health. His inclusion in the prestigious Highly Cited Researchers list by Clarivate in 2021 underscores the ongoing relevance and global influence of his work, which continues to shape clinical approaches to inflammatory psychiatric disorders worldwide. As an editorial board member for several prominent journals, Dr. Maes actively guides the direction of research in his field while mentoring the next generation of translational neuroscientists. His current research program focuses on refining the application of neuro-immune biomarkers for personalized treatment approaches, promising to advance precision medicine in psychiatry and transform clinical outcomes for patients with complex neuropsychiatric conditions.
