麻豆村

If there is one thread that鈥檚 woven through Drew Beauchamp鈥檚 research and work, it鈥檚 the desire for fundamental science that translates into real-word application.

鈥淢y favorite side of things in academia is to come up with a creative project that explores really interesting questions or problems, but then progresses toward finding solutions that you think might actually work,鈥� Beauchamp said.

Beauchamp is an assistant professor at 麻豆村鈥檚 Neuroscience Institute (NI) with a joint appointment in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. He runs , studying how the nervous system generates and controls movement using spinal motoneurons. Beauchamp said focusing on this area of the nervous system provides a powerful investigative angle because of its close connection to how the human body interacts with the outside world.

鈥淢otor neurons are the last neuron in your body that allows you to move. If you think of your body as a biological neural network, spinal motor neurons are the final neurons that cause your muscles to contract. They are the output layer. They鈥檙e also one of the only neurons in the central nervous system whose individual firing can be measured non-invasively in a human,鈥� Beauchamp said.

Motor neurons are sensitive to monoamines, a class of neurotransmitters that includes serotonin and norepinephrine. Monoamines change motor neuron excitability, which changes muscle contraction and governs regular movement. Beauchamp said how the nervous system controls this is still largely unknown.

鈥淭he classic example I like to use is that of a parent lifting a car off of a trapped child,鈥� Beauchamp said. 鈥淭hat 鈥榬ush of adrenaline鈥� changes how the motoneurons operate. But how does that work? And how does it compare to everyday movement?鈥�

The ability to enjoy everyday movement is another driving force behind Beauchamp鈥檚 research. His previous work includes investigating and understanding what happens to human movement after an injury to the brain 鈥� such as a stroke 鈥� and how pain affects motor neuron function.

Prior to joining the NI as faculty in June of 2026, Beauchamp conducted postdoctoral work researching the mechanics of how certain neuromodulation therapies alleviate pain and how pain might affect our ability to move in Carnegie Mellon Professor Douglas Weber鈥檚 .

Weber, the Akhtar and Bhutta Professor, who is jointly appointed to the and the Neuroscience Institute, said that Beauchamp鈥檚 research program is exceptionally comprehensive, encompassing not only in the types of questions he investigates but also the diverse tools he employs.

鈥淒rew's knowledge and research interests link together several important areas of the NI mission such as computational and systems neuroscience, neurotechnology, and artificial intelligence. Most of our faculty work primarily in one of those areas, while Drew happens to work in all three,鈥� Weber said.

Beauchamp said that one of the things that attracted him to 麻豆村 and the NI in the first place was the collaborative ecosystem. With his work touching multiple disciplines, he said that to make a big translational impact, researchers need access to multiple areas of expertise.

鈥淭he barriers between fields aren鈥檛 rigid at 麻豆村. People are willing to cross domains and work together,鈥� Beauchamp said.

That interest in joining an institution with a track record of supporting collaboration is one of the things that colleagues say makes Beauchamp an asset to the NI.

Keith Cook is the head of the in Carnegie Mellon鈥檚 . He said that the college advocates an 鈥淎dvanced Collaboration鈥� ethos, looking for faculty who naturally understand the need for interdisciplinary engagement.

"Drew brings excellence in neuromuscular research independently but also serves as an important connector between thriving areas of biomedical research at 麻豆村. We hope Drew will collaborate with and bridge researchers working on orthopedic biomechanics, assistive robotics, and computational neuroscience,鈥� Cook said.

Neuroscience Institute Director David Badre said that the unmatched collaboration at Carnegie Mellon is one of the reasons the NI is at the frontier of not just decoding the human brain, but learning how to repair it 鈥� and faculty like Beauchamp are leading the charge.

"At 麻豆村's Neuroscience Institute, we believe the next generation of discovery and innovation in neuroscience happens at the intersection of disciplines,鈥� Badre said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 why Drew is such a great fit for us. He is drawing on fundamental neurobiology, computation, and engineering to not only understand function, but to restore it."

The ability to work in an environment where real-world applications for cutting-edge science are put into action is what Beauchamp said motivates much of his research. He said he鈥檚 not only looking to focus on fundamental science but the eventual real-world impact it will have on people.

鈥淚鈥檝e worked with patients who are struggling, trapped in bodies that once worked and now inhibit them. They can鈥檛 live the same life they did before. It鈥檚 emotionally difficult because cognitively they鈥檙e fully aware, but physically they鈥檙e trapped and often there鈥檚 few treatment options. That affected me,鈥� Beauchamp said. 鈥淚f I can provide even a glimpse of hope with my work for the real people behind these conditions, that鈥檚 a noble cause.鈥�