Brian Hanna

McGovern Institute for Brain Research

The McGovern Institute for Brain Research is a community of MIT neuroscientists committed to meeting two of the greatest challenges of modern science: understanding how the brain works and discovering new ways to prevent or treat brain disorders. Our scientists are pushing forward the frontiers of technology to understand how the brain learns, remembers, and perceives the world. We are discovering how these functions are disrupted by disease, and finding new approaches to treating disease. We are also this understanding of the brain to develop and improve artificial neural networks. The McGovern Institute was established in 2000 by technology entrepreneur Lore Harp McGovern and the late Patrick J. McGovern, former chairman of International Data Group (IDG). Our director is Robert Desimone, the Doris and Don Berkey Professor of Neuroscience at MIT and former head of intramural research at the National Institute of Mental Health. The McGovern Institute has grown from six founding faculty members to more than 20 distinguished investigators including one Nobel laureate and seven members of the National Academy of Sciences.