Ongoing Research

Krasnow’s researchers have published extensively in the most prestigious scholarly journals.  Collectively, the institute has brought in more than $60 million in sponsored research from such federal agencies as the National Institutes of Health, as well as elite private sources such as the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Sir John Templeton Foundation.

The Center for Neural Informatics, Structures, and Plasticity (CN3), led by Drs. Giorgio Ascoli, Avrama Blackwell, and Theodore Dumas, pursues fundamental breakthroughs in neuroscience by fostering neuroinformatic and computational approaches to neuroplasticity and neuroanatomy.  researchers investigate the relationship between brain structure, activity, and function from the subcellular to the network level, with a specific focus on the biophysical and biochemical mechanisms of learning and memory.

Dr. Rob Axtell studies economic complexity at the intersection of multi-agent systems, computer science, and the social sciences.  His computational and mathematical models demonstrate a variety of market and non-market phenomenon.

The Center for Social Complexity, led by Dr. Claudio Cioffi, produces computational models of socionatural systems that integrate cultural dynamics and environmental change.  The models are used to demonstrate the rise and fall of polities, examine political instability, and examine ecological dynamics.

Dr. Dan Cox operates the Molecular Neuroanatomy and Developmental Neurogenetics Lab which is devoted to the study of the molecular genetic mechanisms underlying the development of class-specific shapes among neurons with a specific emphasis on the relationship between dendrite morphology and behavioral function.

The Adaptive Systems Laboratory, led by Dr. Kenneth DeJong,  studies complex adaptive systems as they appear in natural and artificial contexts. The research activities reflect two complementary themes: a scientific approach to understanding complex adaptive systems, and an engineering focus on the ability to control, modify, and design complex adaptive systems.

Dr. Siddartha Sikdar runs the Biomedical Imaging Lab which has two broad themes: using ultrasound waves in voel ways to study human physiology, and using computational modeling in combination with experimental measurements to investigate underlying mechanisms.  The overall goal is to develop new diagnostic techniques and applications bringing them from bench-side to bedside.

The Center for the Study of Neuroeconomics, run by Dr. Kevin McCabe, studies human interactions within the context of free markets.  The lab builds neurological models of economic decision making through us of functional brain imaging to delineate the parts of the nervous system active during market-oriented behavior.