University of Notre Dame, Founding Director, Human Neuroimaging Center

We are pleased to share that the University of Notre Dame has appointed Aron Barbey, PhD, as the founding director of the Human Neuroimaging Center. Dr. Barbey also serves as Professor in the Department of Psychology.

The new Human Neuroimaging Center (Center) will focus on cutting-edge research in human thinking, emotion, and behavior, using advanced neuroimaging techniques to explore the intricate connections between neural functions and behavior. Serving as a hub for interdisciplinary collaboration, the Center will integrate diverse perspectives to advance understanding of the brain mechanisms underlying behavior.

Dr. Barbey brings a distinguished record of research leadership and innovation to this role. His work explores how intelligence emerges from the network organization and dynamics of the human connectome, with applications in cognitive enhancement, neurorehabilitation, and biologically inspired AI. Over the course of his career, he has secured more than $26 million in research funding from organizations including the NIH, NSF, the Department of Defense, and private industry sponsors such as Google Brain and Abbott Nutrition.

He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Mensa Foundation Prize for innovation in the neuroscience of human intelligence, and serves as editor of several major handbooks in the field. In 2023, he joined the Defense Science Study Group at the Institute for Defense Analyses.

Dr. Barbey earned his PhD from Emory University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at NIH.

Jay Torio led this search with Erin Schwass and Kendra Moleé.