Unraveling the Mysteries of the Brain
The Latest Breakthroughs from Technion’s Prince Center for Neurodegenerative Disorders of the Brain
Featuring Professors Jackie Schiller, Simone Engelender, Daniel Soudry, and Yitzhak Schiller
Much about the inner workings of the brain remains a puzzle, even after years of progress in brain research. Now Technion researchers are putting together the pieces, with a focus on understanding the inner workings of the brain and treating neurodegenerative diseases.
Please join us to hear Technion experts from the Allen and Jewel Prince Center for Neurodegenerative Disorders of the Brain, while reconnecting with like-minded Technion supporters. The Technion is uniquely positioned to become a world leader in brain science due to its multidisciplinary research, close industry ties, affiliated Rambam hospital, and Prince Center — aimed at understanding the biological changes of the brain in aging and neurodegenerative conditions.
Recently named the director of the Prince Center, Prof. Jackie Schiller will give us an inside look at the Center’s most promising research. Prince Center member Assoc. Prof. Yitzhak Schiller will add his clinical perspective, drawn from work with Rambam patients, while his colleague Prof. Simone Engelender will discuss her research in Parkinson’s disease. Asst. Prof. Daniel Soudry of the Andrew & Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical Engineering will share his interdisciplinary work in machine learning and theoretical neuroscience.
Jewel Prince, a passionate supporter of the American Technion Society, who along with her husband Allen established the Prince Center, will offer her greetings.
Featured Speakers
Featured Speakers
Jackie Schiller
Professor
Yitzhak Schiller
Assoc. Professor
Simone Engelender
Professor
Daniel Soudry
Asst. ProfessorABOUT THE SPEAKER
Professor Jackie Schiller is the director of the Allen and Jewel Prince Center for Neurodegenerative Disorders of the Brain, and head of the Neuroscience Department in the Technion’s Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine. She focuses on dysfunctions of the cerebral cortex and their links to devastating diseases including Parkinson’s, epilepsy and autism. Her most recent research illustrates how the brain learns skilled movement. Prof. Schiller earned her Ph.D. in neurophysiology and biophysics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, conducted postdoctoral research at both the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg, Germany, and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and then joined the Technion in 2000.
Associate Professor Yitzhak Schiller, MD is deputy director of the Neurology Department and director of the Epilepsy Service at Rambam Health Care Campus, and head of the Laboratory for Epilepsy and Brain Disorders Research in the Technion’s Rappaport Faculty of Medicine. He earned his master’s, Ph.D., and MD at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Faculty of Medicine, conducted his residency in neurology at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, and did postdoctoral research at both the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg, Germany, and at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., as a clinical fellow before joining the Technion and Rambam in 2000.
Professor Simone Engelender earned both her medical degree and Ph.D. at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and conducted postdoctoral research from 1996 to 1999 in the Department of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University. She joined the Technion in 2001, where she focuses on the molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration, particularly in Parkinson’s disease. She and members of her team coined the term “threshold theory,” which suggests a new theory for the progression of Parkinson’s disease.
Assistant Professor Daniel Soudry ’08, Ph.D.’13 works in the areas of machine learning and theoretical neuroscience in the Technion’s Andrew & Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical Engineering. He is interested in deep learning and neural networks, which are inspired by the human brain and power much of our artificial learning. He also collaborates on projects with Intel at the Technion AI Research Center, launched in late 2018. After earning bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering and physics and his doctorate at the Technion, he conducted postdoctoral studies in several departments of theoretical neuroscience and brain biology research at Columbia University, and joined the Technion as a Taub Fellow.