Tommaso Menara | Artis Ventures

Postdoctoral Fellow, UCSD

Neuro Engineering

Tommaso Menara, PhD

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Tommaso is a Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of California, San Diego. He received his training in multiple engineering disciplines, with a particular emphasis on neural engineering and robotics. He completed his B.Sc. at the University of Padova, Italy, M.Sc. at the University of Pisa, Italy, and PhD at the University of California, Riverside.

Tommaso's current research interests lie in the emerging intersection of neuroscience, machine learning, and control engineering. He studies biologically inspired recurrent neural networks. Previously, he focused his PhD thesis on reverse engineering brain-wide neural synchronization phenomena to inform novel neurostimulation and neural therapeutics methods. During his graduate studies, he also interned at the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR) in Japan, where he developed data-driven models for neurofeedback therapies.

Outside of work, Tommaso loves spending time outdoors. Besides being an avid hiker and backpacker, he enjoys surfing, golfing, and skiing.

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HEALTHCARE ADVANCEMENT YOU HOPE TO SEE IN YOUR LIFETIME

Unraveling the structure-function relationship in the human brain may become possible in a not-so-distant future thanks to relentless advances in probing technologies. Understanding the mapping between the brain’s anatomical organization and its complex dynamics will inform the development of novel, system-wide interventions for neurological and psychiatric disorders.

GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT

Successfully advocating for the creation of a Covid Relief Fund for international students affected by financial hardships.

MOST INFLUENTIAL CONTENT READ LAST YEAR

"The man who mistook his wife for a hat and other clinical tales” by the neurologist O. Sacks. It contains a collection of the most unique case histories of the author’s patients. Besides many touching stories, the book provides insightful examples of how the advent of modern brain probing techniques allowed scientists to shed a light on the most unusual outcomes of neurological damage.