Michael Halassa, M.D., Ph.D.
"We need a new framework for psychiatry — one that bridges the gap between brain circuits and the algorithms they implement, connecting both to meaningful clinical intervention."
Connecting neural circuits to cognition
How can understanding circuit mechanisms underlying cognitive control and flexibility inform therapies for psychiatric disorders and artificial intelligence?
Dr. Halassa's research combines parametric behavioral tasks with physiological, genetic and optical manipulations to understand core circuit mechanisms and computational principles of cognitive function. His lab focuses on thalamocortical interactions that implement attention, executive control and decision-making.
His lab's biggest contribution to the scientific community is identifying a precise non-relay function for the thalamus. The overarching goal of the his research is to establish a computational theory for the cognitive thalamus. His guiding hypothesis is that the mediodorsal thalamus gates inputs within and across frontal cortical networks to enable flexible behavior. He hopes that this knowledge will provide practical applications in two separate domains: decision-making abnormalities in human psychiatric disorders and flexible reasoning in artificial intelligence.
- Professor, Patient Research Center, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
- Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
- Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Virginia Tech
Lam, N.H. Mukherjee A., Wimmer R.D., Nassar M.R., Chen Z., Halassa M.M. (2025). Prefrontal transthalamic processing of uncertainty drives flexible switching. Nature 637:127-136
Mukherjee, A., Lam, N.H., Wimmer, R.D., Halassa, M.M. Thalamic circuits for independent control of prefrontal signal and noise. Nature 600, 100–104 (2021).
Schmitt LI, Wimmer RD, Nakajima M, Happ M, Mofakham S, Halassa MM. Thalamic amplification of cortical connectivity sustains attentional control. Nature. 2017 May 11;545(7653):219-223.
Wimmer, R., Schmitt, L., Davidson, T. Nakajima, M., Deisseroth, K., Halassa, M.M. Thalamic control of sensory selection in divided attention. Nature 526, 705–709 (2015).
Tufts University, Director of Translational Research, Department of Neuroscience
Tufts University, Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Department of Neuroscience
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Associate Professor, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
New York University, Assistant Professor, Neuroscience Institute
- University of Pennsylvania, Ph.D., Neuroscience
- University of Jordan, M.D., Medicine and Surgery
Prizes and notable mentions:
- Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in the Biomedical Sciences, 2017
- Takeda/New York Academy of Science Innovator, 2017
- NYU Langone Medical Center Next Generation Star, NYU, 2017
- Allen Institute Next Generation Leader, Allen Institute for Brain Research, 2015-2018
- Daniel X. Freedman Prize (Exceptional Basic Research), Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, 2016
- Glenn Hatton Memorial Young Investigator Prize, University of California Riverside, 2012
Awards and Fellowships:
- Pew charitable trust innovation award, 2022
- Nature Award for Driving Global Impact in Neuroscience Finalist, 2019
- Max Planck Fellow, Max Planck Society, 2019
- Kavli Foundation Frontiers Fellow, The Kavli Foundation, 2018
- Pew Scholar, The Pew Charitable Trusts, 2017-2021
- Human Frontiers Investigator, Human Frontiers Science Program, 2016-2019
- NARSAD Young Investigator Award, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, 2016-2017
- Klingenstein Fellowship Award, The Esther A. and Joseph Klingenstein Fund, 2015-2018
- Feldstein Research Fellow, Feldstein Medical Foundation, 2015-2016
- Sloan Research Fellow, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, 2015-2016
- NARSAD Young Investigator Award, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, 2013-2014
- NIH Pathway to Independence Career Award, National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 2012-2017
- American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Travel Award, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 2012
- National Institute of Mental Health Outstanding Resident Award, 2012
- Solomon Award, Harvard University, 2011
- APIRE-Janssen Award for Psychiatric Research, 2010
- Flexner Award for Outstanding Thesis in Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, 2009
- National Research Service Award Pre-Doctoral Research Fellow, National Institutes of Health, 2005-2009