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| Miguel Nicolelis | |
|---|---|
| Name | Miguel Nicolelis |
| Caption | Miguel Nicolelis |
| Birth date | 1961-03-07 |
| Birth place | São Paulo |
| Nationality | Brazilian |
| Occupation | Neuroscientist |
| Known for | Brain–machine interfaces, Walk Again Project |
Miguel Nicolelis Miguel Nicolelis is a Brazilian neuroscientist known for pioneering work in brain–machine interface research and neural prosthetics. He led interdisciplinary collaborations linking neurophysiology, engineering, robotics, and clinical trials to enable paralyzed patients to control external devices. His work has intersected with institutions, funding agencies, and public events that brought neuroscience into global attention.
Born in São Paulo and raised in São Paulo (state), Nicolelis pursued medical studies at the Federal University of São Paulo and later moved to the United States for graduate training. He completed doctoral research at Duke University under mentors from the Department of Neurobiology and trained with investigators affiliated with National Institutes of Health programs. His postdoctoral work included collaborations with laboratories at Boston University, Emory University, and research centers connected to Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During this period he engaged with researchers from the National Science Foundation and laboratories funded by foundations such as the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
Nicolelis held faculty positions at institutions including Duke University Medical Center and later at the Duke Center for Neuroengineering. He founded the Duke University Center for Neuroengineering and later established the International Institute for Neuroscience of Natal (often abbreviated as IINN-ELS) in Natal, Brazil. His laboratory fostered collaborations with engineers from Stanford University, California Institute of Technology, and groups at EPFL and Imperial College London. Funding and partnerships involved agencies and donors such as the National Institutes of Health, FAPESP, CNPq, and philanthropic organizations like the Wellcome Trust and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He served on advisory boards for entities including the Society for Neuroscience and participated in conferences such as Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, Human Brain Project workshops, and panels at World Economic Forum gatherings.
Nicolelis spearheaded experiments demonstrating ensemble recordings from multiple cortical neurons to decode motor intentions and translate them into commands for external devices. His team reported controlling robotic arms, exoskeletons, and virtual avatars using cortical ensemble activity, involving collaborations with engineers from Boston Dynamics and roboticists associated with ETH Zurich and University of Tokyo. He led the Walk Again Project, showcased at the 2014 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony where a paralytic subject purportedly operated an exoskeleton via an EEG-based interface in a performance involving musicians and athletes from Brazil national football team and partnerships with companies such as Siemens and Medtronic. Other high-profile demonstrations included primate studies conducted in coordination with researchers at Yale University, University of Pittsburgh, and Columbia University, and human pilot trials at hospitals like Hospital São Lucas and clinics affiliated with Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte.
His lab developed neural decoding algorithms linked to machine learning teams from Google DeepMind and computational neuroscience groups at University College London and Caltech. Work on sensory feedback employed tactile display collaborations with designers from MIT Media Lab and sensor companies like Bosch and Analog Devices. Clinical translational efforts interfaced with regulatory bodies such as the Food and Drug Administration for device approvals and with rehabilitation centers including Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for pilot studies with veterans.
Nicolelis received numerous distinctions from academies and societies including election to the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and foreign memberships such as the National Academy of Medicine (USA) and associations including the Academia Brasileira de Letras (honorary contexts). He was awarded prizes like the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (in interdisciplinary recognitions), scientific prizes from FDR Foundation and medals from municipal governments such as São Paulo City Hall. He gave keynote lectures at TED, was profiled in media outlets including The New York Times, Nature (journal), Science (journal), The Economist, and featured on television programs on BBC and CNN. He received honorary degrees from universities such as University of São Paulo, University of Coimbra, and international honors presented at venues like the United Nations.
Nicolelis's career attracted scrutiny concerning laboratory management, authorship practices, and research reproducibility raised by peers at institutions including Duke University and Brazilian universities such as Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte. Investigations involved university committees and oversight by funding agencies like FAPESP and CNPq. Critiques published in outlets including Nature and discussed at forums like Society for Neuroscience meetings questioned aspects of experimental controls and translational claims. Media reporting by Folha de S.Paulo and O Globo covered administrative disputes and legal proceedings involving staff and collaborators. Debates extended to ethics panels at International Neuroethics Society conferences and regulatory discussions with entities such as the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA).
Nicolelis has engaged in public outreach through lectures at venues like TEDGlobal and collaborations with cultural institutions including the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro. He authored books and essays distributed in Brazil and internationally, appearing in collections alongside writers linked to Editora Rocco and publishers such as Penguin Random House. His legacy is reflected in the growth of neuroengineering programs at universities like Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, the proliferation of brain–computer interface startups in ecosystems around Silicon Valley and São Paulo, and influence on policy discussions at World Health Organization meetings. He is married and has family ties in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte and remains a polarizing figure whose scientific contributions shaped ongoing research at centers including Duke University, Stanford University, and the International Brain Initiative.
Category:Neuroscientists Category:Brazilian scientists