The CNT is excited to announce that Dr. Brian Litt has been featured in today’s Penn Today newsletter (newsletter date 03/30/2023)! The article, written by Nathi Magubane, highlights some of the incredible work that Dr. Litt has pioneered. The piece also brings attention to Dr. Litt’s dedication to mentorship and uplifting the next generation of bioengineers and neuroscientists in the field of epilepsy. 

Below is a briefing on the article, titled “Novel tools for the treatment and diagnosis of epilepsy“:

The work of Brian Litt of the Perelman School of Medicine and the School of Engineering and Applied Science has led to new ways to treat and diagnose epilepsy. Throughout Litt’s career, he’s fabricated tools that support international collaboration, produced findings that have led to significant breakthroughs, and mentored the next generation of researchers tackling neurological disorders.

Feel free to read the full article on Penn Today, following this link.

The CNT would like to very warmly congratulate Maggie Wagner, William Ojemann, and Carlos Aguila (pictured left to right) for being selected as 2023 awardees for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program!

GRFP recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who have demonstrated the potential to be high achieving scientists and engineers, as well as STEM educators, early in their careers. The five-year fellowship provides three years of financial support inclusive of an annual stipend of $37,000.

Once again, a very warm congratulations to Maggie, Will, and Carlos for their incredible and hard-earned achievements!

Brian Litt, MD – Center Director

Flavia Vitale – Lead Faculty

This week, CURE Epilepsy published their CURE Epilepsy Discovery featuring Dr. Brian Litt’s research that was originally funded by CURE Epilepsy. The short but in-depth piece focuses on painting a picture of the incredible discoveries that have come from that initial research and beyond. The article also highlights the work of Dr. Flavia Vitale, one of the lead PIs here at the CNT, and Dr. Jonathan Viventi, who earned his PhD here at the University of Pennsylvania and is now at Duke.

Highlights from the articles include the following concluding paragraph:

In conclusion, the funding that CURE Epilepsy provided to Dr. Litt in 2011 was the beginning of not only his scientific discoveries in the field of implantable devices but also an opportunity to deeply invest in the future and the next generation of scientists. While basic research can take decades to come to fruition, the rewards are great as it helps to build knowledge about how and why the brain generates seizures, and also provides insights into how the brain works in general. By funding basic research for epilepsy devices through Drs. Litt, Viventi, and Vitale, CURE Epilepsy positions the community to find a cure for epilepsy within our lifetime.

Please follow this link to read CURE’s full article, titled “Implantable Devices Represent a Novel Way to Detect and Treat Epilepsy.”

We are very pleased to announce that Jamaal Spence, an undergraduate student worker here at the CNT, was mentioned in Penn Today‘s newsletter that was sent out this morning (date 2/28/2023)!

Jamaal is currently a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Neuroscience. He spent the summer of 2022 as an executive assessment intern for AIIR Consulting, where he combined his background in neuroscience with the consulting world to help analyze behavioral and psychometric data.

Below is a snippet of the article, titled “A Neuroscience Major Learns about Consulting.” To read the full piece that Jamaal wrote about his experience, please click this link to be redirected:

I’m confident that Penn students have heard the phrase “consulting” mentioned more times around campus than they can possibly count. Each fall, recruiting season rallies students from a variety of majors, challenging them to apply their critical thinking skills as they work through case studies for several big-name consulting firms. As a neuroscience major, I had never possessed a concrete understanding of the work that consultants do, let alone the appeal of the industry. This summer however, I had an amazing opportunity to enter the field as an Executive Assessment intern for AIIR Consulting (AIIR). My experience with AIIR has helped me to grow my understanding of what consulting has to offer, and I am grateful to Penn Career Services for making this possible.

To be continued on the Career Services site…

Data Engineer

• The Center for Neuroengineering and Therapeutics is currently seeking a data engineer. Please use this link to apply.

Postdoc

• The Center of Neuroengineering and Therapeutics is currently seeking a postdoc for the lab. We have an immediate opening for an experienced scientist or engineer interested in developing novel computational models and devices for treating epilepsy and other neurological disorders. For more information, please click this link.

Research Coordinator

• The Center of Neuroengineering and Therapeutics is currently seeking a Research Coordinator. Please reach out to Carolyn Wilkinson (wilkinsc@seas.upenn.edu) if you are interested for more information.

The Grill Lab at Duke University is looking to hire a Post-Doctoral Research Associate or Staff Research Scientist. They seek highly-motivated individuals who enjoy the freedom to pursue their own ideas in a supportive environment to join the Grill Lab team, and have multiple opportunities to pursue modeling, experimental, and clinical studies to advance electrical for restoration of function. For more information, please click this link.

Reblogged from Kat Sas, Penn Bioengineering Blog

Dr. Brian Litt, MD, Professor of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Bioengineering, has received a 2022 Landis Award for Outstanding Mentorship from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). This award honors Litt’s dedication to superior mentorship and training in neuroscience research. The award includes $100,000 in the form of a supplement to an existing NINDS grant to support his efforts to foster the career advancement of additional trainees.

Read the announcement in Penn Medicine News.