Dr. Miguel Angelo Nicolelis stands as a preeminent leader and visionary in the field of neuroscience and neuroengineering, renowned for revolutionizing our understanding of brain function and neural interfaces. He currently holds the distinguished position of Professor Emeritus of Neurobiology at Duke University, where he previously served as the Duke School of Medicine Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience and Professor of Neurobiology, Biomedical Engineering, and Psychology and Neuroscience. Dr. Nicolelis earned his medical degree and doctorate in neurophysiology from the University of São Paulo in Brazil, establishing the foundation for his groundbreaking career that would bridge continents and disciplines. Throughout his illustrious career, he has founded several major research institutions including Duke's Center for Neuroengineering, the Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute for Neuroscience of Natal, and Miguel Nicolelis is the Founder and Scientific Director of the Nicolelis Institute for Advanced Brain Studies, with divisions in the US, Brazil, and Europe.
Dr. Nicolelis pioneered and perfected the development of chronic, multi-site, multi-electrode recordings, a revolutionary neurophysiological method that launched an entirely new field of investigation focused on measuring the concurrent activity of large neuron populations throughout the brain. His seminal research established the fundamental principles of neural ensemble physiology, demonstrating distributed coding, plasticity, and multitasking capabilities within neural circuits across mammalian species. He was the first scientist to propose and successfully demonstrate that animals and human subjects can utilize their electrical brain activity to directly control neuroprosthetic devices through brain-machine interfaces, fundamentally transforming the landscape of neuroprosthetics and rehabilitation. This groundbreaking work has generated significant clinical applications for patients suffering from severe paralysis, Parkinson's disease, and epilepsy, offering new therapeutic pathways that were previously unimaginable.
Beyond his laboratory achievements, Dr. Nicolelis founded the Walk Again Project, an international consortium that has developed exoskeleton technology to restore mobility to severely paralyzed patients, capturing global attention when a paralyzed individual performed the ceremonial opening kick at the 2014 World Cup. His research paradigm has been widely adopted by neuroscience laboratories across the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America, influencing not only neuroscience but also computer science, robotics, and biomedical engineering. Through his integrative approach to studying neurological and psychiatric disorders, he continues to advance our understanding of the neurophysiological alterations associated with Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, schizophrenia, and attention deficit disorder. Dr. Nicolelis remains a driving force in the field as he develops increasingly sophisticated neural recording technologies while mentoring the next generation of neuroscientists who will build upon his transformative legacy.
