Dr. Wallace Donovan joined our team in 2019, bringing her expertise in neuroscience and project management, from basic science research to clinical trials. She came to us from UCSF, where she worked as a research scientist and project manager on the DARPA-funded SUBNETS program (PI-Edward Chang). She obtained her Ph.D. in cellular and behavioral models of addiction, depression and anxiety disorders with Eric Nestler at UT-Southwestern and completed her post-doctoral work at UC-Berkeley in fMRI pharmacological studies with Mark D’Esposito. Dr. Wallace Donovan's past research has been funded by NIH, industry and private foundations, and she has over 20 years experience in neuroscience research and peer-reviewed published work.
Dr. Noble was recruited to UT Austin in 2017 from UCSF, and joined CARE as Co-Director in 2018. She has made substantial inroads in broadening the scope of CARE, bringing expertise and recruitment to the cellular mechanisms of rehabilitation. Dr. Noble’s lab is focused on translational research in the field of neurotrauma. Th overarching long-term objective is to develop targeted therapeutics that will improve recovery after traumatic spinal cord and pediatric brain injuries. This research relies on cellular, molecular, and behavioral tools to identify key mechanisms underlying early cell injury that impair recovery processes in preclinical models of neurotrauma. Her research is been funded by the NIH, the Department of Defense, and the Craig H Neilsen Foundation. She is also on the executive committee for the Alliance of Regenerative Rehabilitation and Training (AR3T).
Dr. Jose del R. Millan was recruited to UT Austin in 2019, and joined CARE as Co-Director in 2022, bringing his expertise in brain-computer interface (BCI) research, technology developments and robotic applications to the field of rehabilitation. Dr. Millan is the past president of the International Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Society and is Associate Director of Texas Robotics. Dr. Millán has made several seminal contributions to the field of brain-machine interfaces (BMI), especially based on electroencephalogram signals. Most of his achievements revolve around the design of brain-controlled robots. He has received several recognitions for these seminal and pioneering achievements, notably the IEEE-SMC Nobert Wiener Award in 2011, elevation to IEEE Fellow in 2017, and elected Fellow of the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering in 2020. In addition to his work on the fundamentals of BMI and design of neuroprosthetics, Dr. Millán is prioritizing the translation of BMI to people who live with motor and cognitive disabilities. In parallel, he is designing BMI technology to offer new interaction modalities for able-bodied people that augment their abilities.
Dr. Sulzer, while faculty at UT-Austin, founded the UT CARE Initiative in 2014, as a research hub for Central Texas rehabilitation researchers, engineers, physicians, therapists, and anyone interested or working in rehabilitation. Dr. Sulzer is an Associate Professor at Case Western Reserve University, and Scientist at MetroHealth System, Ohio, where his research focuses on improving walking in people after stroke, using a wide range of methods like robotic exoskeletons and biofeedback of neural activity. His work is funded by NIH and private foundation grants such as the Craig H Neilsen Foundation.