Michael Halassa is professor of neuroscience and psychiatry at Tufts University. Hisresearch focuses on cognitive control and flexibility. His lab has identified the first non-relay function for the thalamus: the control of task-relevant prefrontal dynamics and effective connectivity. This work has opened up many new lines of research and provided fundamental insight into the neural basis of human cognition. His lab trainees have gone on to lead faculty positions at various institutions.
Halassa is also a board-certified and practicing psychiatrist who specializes in treatment of psychotic disorders. His clinical research is focused on identifying novel precision targets based on emerging pharmacology and neurostimulation. He has been consistently funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and has received several fellowships and prizes throughout his career—most notably, the Vilcek Prize for Promise in the Biomedical Sciences (2017), an award given to immigrant scientists who have made extraordinary contributions to American society.
Halassa earned his Ph.D. in neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania and his M.D. at the University of Jordan.
