BHI New Faculty

A Message from Dr. David Zald, Director of the Center for Advanced Human Brain Imaging Research (CAHBIR)

Dr. David Zald, Director of the CAHBIR at BHI, introduces the center and four new faculty: Dr. Avram Holmes, Dr. Andrew Westbrook, Dr. Linden Parkes, and Dr. Noelle Stiles. The CAHBIR is dedicated to conducting high-quality human neuroscience research using state-of-the-art neuroimaging techniques. “Our mission has been to incorporate the latest developments in scanning so that our researchers can push the boundaries of what we can learn about how the brain works in both health and diseases,” Dr. Zald says.

Welcome Dr. Avram Holmes

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Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS)

Core Faculty Member, Brain Health Institute (BHI)


Dr. Holmes studies the fundamental organization of large-scale human brain networks, with a particular focus on higher-level cognition and the intersection of emotion and cognition. Using a multi-scale approach, his lab studies phenomena across levels, from genes and molecules through cells, circuits, networks, and behavior.

Welcome Dr. Andrew Westbrook

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Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS)

Core Faculty Member, Brain Health Institute (BHI)


Dr. Westbrook’s lab studies neuromodulator systems regulating higher-order cognitive function, including the impact of striatal dopamine in learning and decision-making and of cortical E-I balance in cognitive flexibility. Studies combine pharmacology and TMS, with fMRI, EEG, eye tracking, and computational modeling of behavior.

Welcome Dr. Linden Parkes

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Assistant Professor, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) Department of Psychiatry

Core Faculty Member, Brain Health Institute (BHI)


Dr. Parkes is a computational neuroscientist with extensive research experience at the intersection of network neuroscience, psychiatry, machine learning, and neuroimaging, including a range of different neuroimaging modalities (e.g., structural, diffusion, and functional magnetic resonance imaging). He uses magnetic resonance imaging and draws on tools from network science and dynamical systems to build statistical models that forecast the emergence of developmental psychopathology.

Welcome Dr. Noelle Stiles

Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) with a secondary faculty appointment in the Department of Ophthalmology at New Jersey Medical School (NJMS),Core Faculty Member, Brain Health Institute (BHI)

Core Faculty Member, Brain Health Institute (BHI)


Dr. Stiles studies multimodal interactions, exploring how sensations cooperate with each other, resolve conflicting signals, and change when one sense is removed or restored. Her lab will study enhanced crossmodal plasticity in the blind relative to the sighted, neural imaging and behavioral testing of individuals using sensory substitution devices and retinal prostheses, and multimodal illusions such as the double flash illusion and the rabbit illusion.

If you are new to the BHI and want to be featured in future monthly newsletters, please contact Lily Zhang (lily.zhangty@rutgers.edu).

BHI Spotlight

Dr. Mark Rossi's NIH R01 Grant to Study Lateral Hypothalamus in Diet-Induced Obesity

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Dr. Mark Rossi, BHI Core Member and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, received his five-year NIH R01 grant to study the role of the lateral hypothalamus in diet-induced obesity. The project will enhance understanding of the impact of obesity on brain feeding circuits to test whether targeted manipulation of affected circuitry can mitigate obesity. The long-term goal is to discover the cellular mechanisms controlling energy homeostasis to pave the way for possible therapeutic interventions.

Dr. Wayne Fisher's NIH R01 Grant to Study Novel Quantitative Theory about Autism Treatment

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Dr. Wayne Fisher, Director of the Rutgers Center for Autism Research, Education and Services (RUCARES) and a BHI Core Member, and his team have been awarded a $3 million NIH R01 grant to examine a novel quantitative theory and its predictions about harmful extinction bursts. His team includes Dr. Brian Greer and Dr. Robert LaRue at Rutgers and Dr. Timothy Shahan at Utah State University. The clinical studies will be conducted at the RUCARES and the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, and the basic studies will be conducted at Utah State University.

Dr. Brian Greer's NIH R01 Grant to Improve the Treatment of Severe Destructive Behavior

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Dr. Brian Greer, Assistant Director of the Rutgers Center for Autism Research, Education and Services (RUCARES) and a BHI Core Member received a $1.9 million NIH R01 grant to improve the treatment of severe destructive behavior exhibited by children and adolescents with developmental disabilities by refining the critically important process of reinforcement schedule thinning following treatment with functional communication training. This novel project has the potential to substantially improve standards of care guiding the treatment of self-injury, aggression, and other forms of severe destructive behavior.

Dr. Mi-Hyeon Jang's Funding from the DOD and New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research

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Dr. Mi-Hyeon Jang, Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and a BHI Core Member, received new funding from the Department of Defense (DOD) and New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research, explores how nanoparticles can be used to diagnose and treat brain-related side effects of chemotherapy in cancer patients. Dr. Jang collaborated with Dr. Kibum Lee and Dr. Peter Cole to identify how chemotherapy damages the brain cells that are important for proper learning and memory function.

Dr. Hai Sun’s Study on Seizure Development Published in Nature Communications

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Dr. Hai Sun, Associate Professor and Assistant Director of Research at the Department of Neurosurgery at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and a BHI Regular Member, published "Ictogenesis proceeds through discrete phases in hippocampal CA1 seizures in mice" in Nature Communications. Predicting seizure onsets may allow for seizure prevention in patients, and identifying discrete phases of seizure development may usher in new strategies to prevent seizures in patients. The study shows two distinct phases that always preceded temporal lobe seizures in mice, with activity confined within these two phases failing to progress into seizures.

Dr. Walter Zahorodny's Study Published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

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Dr. Walter Zahorodny, Associate Professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, published a study "Prevalence and Characteristics of Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the New York-New Jersey Metropolitan Area" in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. The study is the first population-based data on the prevalence and expression of Autism Spectrum Disorder among adolescents in the NY-NJ metropolitan area.

Dr. Eldo Kuzhikandathil Received the 2023 RBHS Chancellor Leadership Award

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Dr. Eldo Kuzhikandathil, Executive Director of Administration at BHI, received the 2023 RBHS Chancellor Leadership Award “For an existing leader who demonstrates exemplary leadership through significant ongoing and sustained contributions to RBHS”.

Dr. Victoria Abraira Has Been Named the 2023 Rita Allen Foundation Scholar

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Dr. Victoria Abraira, Assistant Professor of cell biology and neuroscience in the School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) and a BHI Core Member, was recognized as a 2023 Rita Allen Foundation Scholar for her research into the sense of touch and how it helps us to move, socialize, and feel pain. Gaining a better understanding of touch could help those suffering from anxiety, PTSD, and neurological disorders like autism and attention deficit disorder which often results in sensory overload and makes it hard for someone to cope with their surroundings.

Dr. David Barker Won the 2023 Grossman Innovation Prize

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Dr. David Barker, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) and a BHI Core Member received the 2023 Grossman Innovation Prize from SAS, which provides up to $50,000 to faculty members developing research with commercial potential. Dr. Barker studies the pathways in the brain involved with psychiatric disorders with the goal of finding effective treatments. His work has recently focused on a receptor that shows promise in promoting pain relief without triggering the addictive response associated with opioid receptors.

If you want to feature any news (e.g., awards, grants, significant publications) in future monthly newsletters, please send them to Lily Zhang (lily.zhangty@rutgers.edu) or use this Microsoft form to submit your news.

BHI Opportunity

Grants Available: BHI-CAHBIR Research Pilot Grants for RU-NB Faculty

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Center for Advanced Human Brain Imaging Research (CAHBIR)


BHI-CAHBIR Research Pilot Grants are now available for RU-NB faculty to facilitate scanning at the CAHBIR. Two types of grants are available: a $100k full research pilot and a $35k minigrant. The application deadline for both grants is November 1, 2023. 

Job Opening: Tenure-Track Faculty Position in Emergency Medicine and Addiction

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Rutgers Addiction Research Center (RARC)


The BHI, RARC, and Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Department of Emergency Medicine are recruiting a tenure-track faculty member at the Associate or Assistant Professor level with expertise in addiction, substance use, or overdose. We are particularly interested in candidates with research programs in opioid and/or alcohol addiction.

Job Opening: Tenure-Track Faculty Position in Early Intervention Research in Autism

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Rutgers Center for Autism Research, Education and Services (RUCARES)


The BHI, RUCARES, and Department of Pediatrics at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) are seeking a tenure-track assistant or associate professor for a clinical research program focused on improving interventions for young children with autism spectrum disorder. 

Job Opening: Multiple Faculty Positions in Human Brain Imaging

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Center for Advanced Human Brain Imaging Research (CAHBIR)


The CAHBIR is recruiting for multiple faculty positions at all levels (Assistant/Associate/ Professor). We seek investigators who use innovative MRI approaches to image human brain structure and function. Individuals who utilize additional approaches such as EEG, tDCS, and rTMS to study human brain function would also be attractive. 

If you want to share any opportunities (e.g., open positions, grants) in future monthly newsletters, please send them to Lily Zhang (lily.zhangty@rutgers.edu) or use this Microsoft form to submit your news.

Save the Date

Oct 17

Faculty Candidate Virtual Seminar with Dr. Judith Tsui


Save the date for a research presentation on October 17 at 3:00 p.m. by Dr. Judith Tsui. Dr. Tsui is a recruitment candidate for a faculty position in RWJMS, BHI, and RARC in the area of Treatment and recovery at the RARC.

Nov 29-30

Rutgers Brain Health Institute Postdoc Recruitment Event


The BHI Postdoc Recruitment Event is a two-day event, designed for PhD or MD/PhD students and current post-docs looking for postdoctoral training in basic, translational, and clinical research in neuroscience and connect them with Rutgers faculty interested in recruiting post-docs. We have received over 100 applications, and we will select up to 20 highly qualified candidates to attend this all-expenses-paid event.

Nov 30

Ninth Annual Rutgers Brain Health Institute Symposium


The Ninth Annual BHI Symposium will be held at the Douglass Student Center, featuring talks by Rutgers faculty, student/postdoc poster presentations, and keynote speaker Dr. Michael Shadlen, MD, PhD.

Register Now

If you want to feature any news, opportunities, and events in future monthly newsletters, please send them to Lily Zhang (lily.zhangty@rutgers.edu) or use this Microsoft form to submit your news. Thank you for your cooperation and support!

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