麻豆村

麻豆村 has named renowned cognitive neuroscientist David Badre as director of the Neuroscience Institute, charting an ambitious course for the next era of cross-disciplinary discovery. His appointment begins July 1, 2026.

鈥淒avid Badre is a world-class neuroscientist whose work has deepened our understanding of how the brain supports planning, decision-making and goal-directed behavior,鈥� said Barbara Shinn-Cunningham, Glen de Vries Dean of the Mellon College of Science. 鈥淏ut even more importantly, he is an exceptional leader who communicates complex ideas clearly and builds strong interdisciplinary communities. I鈥檓 thrilled for the Neuroscience Institute to have a dynamic leader like David who will champion our research community and advocate for neuroscience 鈥� and for science more broadly.鈥�

Badre will be the second director for the Neuroscience Institute, which was established in 2018 under Shinn-Cunningham. Tim Verstynen has served as the interim director since January 2025. The institute 鈥� administered by the Mellon College of Science and the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences 鈥� unites faculty, researchers and students from across nearly every college at Carnegie Mellon to advance brain science and real-world applications.

Richard Scheines, Bess Family Dean of the Dietrich College, said neuroscience at Carnegie Mellon is truly interdisciplinary.

鈥淲e are examining the brain through collaborations among biologists, computational biologists, machine learning faculty, cognitive neuroscientists, biomedical engineers, roboticists and medical researchers,鈥� Scheines said. 鈥淚n his own research on how human brains support making plans and then acting to implement these plans, David Badre practices exactly this kind of interdisciplinary neuroscience. I don鈥檛 think we could have found someone better suited to take the Neuroscience Institute to the next level.鈥� 聽

For more than half a century, Carnegie Mellon has been a global leader in understanding the brain and behavior. From developing early cognitive tutors and creating the Jeopardy-winning AI system Watson to launching one of the first Ph.D. programs in neural computation, 麻豆村 has consistently pushed the boundaries of neuroscience and technology. Today, its researchers are driving breakthroughs in areas like Parkinson鈥檚 and Alzheimer鈥檚 treatments, brain-computer interfaces, and machine learning for mental health.

鈥溌槎勾� and the Neuroscience Institute are established global leaders in neuroscience at the intersection of biology, cognitive science, computer science and engineering.鈥� Badre said. 鈥淚 am thrilled to come to 麻豆村 and help the Neuroscience Institute take its next step as a leading center for the interdisciplinary study of the brain.鈥�

As the Neuroscience Institute director, Badre will lead interdisciplinary teams of neuroscientists, psychologists, data scientists, computer scientists and engineers who are driving the next wave of innovation 鈥� advancing brain-computer interfaces, machine learning for mental health and new insights into human cognition.

鈥淭his is an exciting moment for neuroscience,鈥� Badre said. 鈥淎nd, there will be new opportunities for what we learn about the brain to drive new technologies and applications that have a direct, positive impact on society.鈥�

Badre is a professor of cognitive and psychological services at Brown University, which he joined in 2008 and where he has served as department chair since 2022. He is an affiliate of the Carney Institute for Brain Science and a trainer in the Neuroscience Graduate Program.

A Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and the Cognitive Science Society, Badre has served as editor or on the editorial boards of several journals. He is a former chair of the Cognition and Perception Study Section of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and former co-chair of the NIH Director鈥檚 New Innovator Award Editorial Board.

Badre鈥檚 research focuses on cognitive control, which concerns how the brain translates goals and plans into concrete behaviors. His work is supported by the NIH and through the Office of Naval Research.

Among his accolades are an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship in Neuroscience, a James S. McDonnell Scholar Award in Understanding Human Cognition and the Cognitive Neuroscience Society Young Investigator Award. He was awarded Brown鈥檚 Mid-Career Achievement Award in 2022 and was a finalist for the PROSE Award from the Association of American Publishers for his 2020 book, 鈥淥n Task.鈥� He is currently working on a book about the neuroscience of human error.