Carnegie Mellon University Neuroscience Postdoc Awarded the Swartz Foundation Fellowship for Theory in Neuroscience

Dr. Asma Motiwala from Carnegie-Mellon University (CMU) is a recipient of the Swartz Foundation Fellows for Theory in Neuroscience.

Motiwala was recognized for her research on uncovering dynamics of movement preparation and memory maintenance using volitional control-based causal perturbations. She is a postdoc co-advised by Byron Yu, Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience Institute at CMU and Aaron Batista, Associate Professor, Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh.

“The research, that the Swartz Foundation grant will support, seeks to understand how the brain processes information that must be transformed in time by leveraging brain-computer interface technologies. These questions are of substantial theoretical interest because internally processing information in time is a fundamental component in the brain's ability to generate complex thought and actions”, said Motiwala about the importance of the award. “The support from the Swartz Foundation will allow me the freedom to pursue this ambitious direction and ultimately facilitate my transition to becoming an independent investigator”.

The Swartz Foundation was established in 1994 and supports the development of theoretical approaches to mind and brain. The Foundation funds research at numerous centers around the US, supports conferences, and previously endowed the annual Swartz Prize for Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience through the Society for Neuroscience.