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

Mother mouse and her offspring.

Maternity induces lasting gene-expression changes in mouse brains

The findings add to a small but growing body of research on neurological changes linked to pregnancy, birth and parenting.

By Amber Dance
12 June 2026 | 5 min read
Map of socioeconomic opportunity in the United States next to visualizations of functional connectivity and structure in sensory and motor cortices.

IQ’s link to brain structure, function in children may be a mirage

A child’s socioeconomic status, screen time and amount of sleep all show stronger associations with measures of brain structure and function, according to an imaging study of nearly 12,000 9- to 10-year-olds.

By Natalia Mesa
11 June 2026 | 5 min read
Photo collage of Tempest McDonald.

When autistic kids grow up, Chapter 2: “You need to go to college”

With just a high school equivalency degree and struggling as a single mother, Tempest McDonald is forced to shift her priorities.

By Brady Huggett
11 June 2026 | 28 min listen