Luca Mazzucato.

Luca Mazzucato

Assistant professor of biology and mathematics
University of Oregon

Luca Mazzucato is assistant professor of biology and mathematics at the University of Oregon. His lab investigates the neural mechanisms of optimal performance in decision-making and sensory perception, and develops brain-computer interfaces to improve cognitive function in primates.

Mazzucato obtained his Ph.D. in theoretical physics at the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) and worked on string theory for several years before switching to neuroscience. He was a Swartz Fellow in Theoretical Neurobiology and a research scientist at Columbia University’s Center for Theoretical Neuroscience. He started his lab at the University of Oregon in 2018.

He is the recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and numerous National Institutes of Health awards. He also runs the Science and Comics Initiative at the University of Oregon, where he works with comic artists to explain neuroscience.

Explore more from The Transmitter

Research image of portions of the adult dentate gyrus.

Machine learning spots neural progenitors in adult human brains

But the finding has not settled the long-standing debate over the existence and extent of neurogenesis during adulthood, says Yale University neuroscientist Juan Arellano.

By Claudia López Lloreda
3 July 2025 | 7 min listen

Xiao-Jing Wang outlines the future of theoretical neuroscience

Wang discusses why he decided the time was right for a new theoretical neuroscience textbook and how bifurcation is a key missing concept in neuroscience explanations.

By Paul Middlebrooks
2 July 2025 | 112 min listen
Overlapping speech bubbles.

Memory study sparks debate over statistical methods

Critics of a 2024 Nature paper suggest the authors failed to address the risk of false-positive findings. The authors argue more rigorous methods can result in missed leads.

By Katie Moisse
2 July 2025 | 5 min read