Headshot of Randy McIntosh.

Randy McIntosh

Director, Institute for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology
Simon Fraser University

Randy McIntosh is professor and BC leadership chair in neuroscience and technology transfer across the lifespan, and director of the Institute for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, at Simon Fraser University. He holds a Ph.D. in psychology and neuroscience with a strong background in statistics. His research journey began at the Rotman Research Institute at the University of Toronto, where he developed a keen interest in understanding aging and cognition. McIntosh is the co-lead for the team that created The Virtual Brain (thevirtualbrain.org), a groundbreaking platform that unites global research efforts.

Explore more from The Transmitter

Hands cut a ribbon.

What Trump’s psychedelics executive order means for basic neuroscience

The order provides a potential path to remove some psychedelic drugs from the strictest regulatory category, yet it “may not be the breakthrough the basic research community has been looking for,” says neuroscientist Shawn Lockery.

By Calli McMurray
24 April 2026 | 4 min read
Research image visualizing neuronal activity.

Switching neural code may solve ongoing face-recognition debate

Face patch cells in macaque monkeys initially respond to images of any object but rapidly transition to attend to faces exclusively, a new study finds.

By Holly Barker
23 April 2026 | 5 min read

Liset de la Prida explains how neuron subtypes may control the activity of large neural populations, from manifolds to ripples

De la Prida's work analyzing the varieties of sharp wave ripples in the hippocampus led to her discovery that specific types of neurons control the properties of neural manifolds.

By Paul Middlebrooks
22 April 2026 | 104 min listen