Chen Institute Director's Seminar: Dr. Maryam Shanechi

Please join us for a Chen Institute Director's Seminar with speaker Dr. Maryam M. Shanechi, the Alexander A. Sawchuk Endowed Chair and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, and Neuroscience at USC, where she is also the Founding Director of the Center for Neurotechnology.

Title: AI-driven neurotechnology for neural decoding and modulation

Abstract: A major challenge in neurotechnology and neuroAI is to model, decode, and modulate the activity of large-scale neural populations that underlie brain function and dysfunction. Toward addressing this challenge, I will present our work on novel dynamical modeling frameworks that characterize neural-behavioral data and enable a new generation of brain-computer interfaces for disorders such as major depression. First, I will introduce a framework that jointly describes neural and behavioral signals, dissociates behaviorally relevant neural dynamics, and decodes brain states such as mood from neural activity. I will then show how the framework can also predict the effects of inputs—such as sensory stimuli or neurostimulation—to disentangle intrinsic from input-driven neural dynamics. I will further illustrate how these models can integrate multimodal neural signals, including spikes, field potentials, and brain-wide neuroimaging. Finally, I will discuss the challenge of developing AI algorithms for neurotechnology and present methods that enable accurate, flexible inference of brain states and generalize across subjects. Together, these modeling frameworks can enable next-generation AI-driven neurotechnologies that restore lost motor and emotional function in diverse brain disorders such as paralysis and major depression.