BHI Working Groups
The Brain Health Institute created Focus Area Working Groups (FAWGs) for each Focus Area (Neurodevelopment, Motivational and Affective Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration and Injury, and Cognitive and Sensory Neuroscience). We also established a Junior Faculty Working Group (JFWG) composed of tenure-track assistant professors and a Postdoc Alliance Working Group (PAWG) for trainees.
The goals of the FAWGs are to:
- Engage Rutgers neuroscience faculty in BHI activities, including Plenary seminars, Symposia, Workshops etc.
- Promote collaborations to foster multi-PI, center, and institutional research grants.
- Build a supportive and collaborative Rutgers neuroscience community.
Each Working group is lead by a Chair and Vice-Chair and consists of 20 to 25 Rutgers faculty.
Neurodegeneration and Injury FAWG (NDI-FAWG)
The NDI-FAWG brings together faculty from different campuses, schools, and chancellor units, who all share research interests in the mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration after brain injury and who are interested in identifying and testing neuroprotective and neuroregenerative strategies.
Chair: Detlev Boison, PhD
Vice-Chair: Steven Levison, PhD
Cognitive & Sensory Neuroscience FAWG (CSN-FAWG)
The CSN-FAWG brings together faculty from different Rutgers campuses, schools, and chancellor units, who share research interests in the neural mechanisms underlying sensation and cognitive functions.
Chair: David Zald, PhD
Vice-Chair: Tibor Rohacs, MD, PhD
Neurodevelopment FAWG (ND-FAWG)
The ND-FAWG brings together faculty and trainees across Rutgers to advance research on how the brain develops—from basic science on early development to clinical studies. The ND FAWG focuses on a wide range of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism, intellectual disabilities, schizophrenia, Rett syndrome, and brain malformations.
Chair: Maria Chiara Manzini, PhD
Vice-Chair: Jennifer Gladys Mulle, PhD
Motivational & Affective Neuroscience FAWG (MAN-FAWG)
The MAN-FAWG brings together faculty and trainees from different campuses, schools, and chancellor units, who share research interests in how motivational and affective processes contribute to health-related outcomes. There are currently two primary areas of expertise encompassed in the MAN-FAWG: addiction and feeding/eating behaviors.
Chair: Danielle Dick, PhD
Vice-Chair: Zhiping Pang, MD, PhD
Junior Faculty Working Group (JFWG)
The JFWG is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and supportive community for early-career researchers as they embark on their independent research journeys. Recognizing that this stage can be both challenging and exciting, we aim to empower junior faculty as they grow and contribute to the Rutgers neuroscience community.
Chair: Miriam Bocarsly, PhD
Vice-Chair: Linden Parkes, PhD
Postdoctoral Alliance Working Group (PAWG)
The PPAWG was created to support trainee development and foster a strong sense of community at the BHI. The PAWG aims to cultivate a collaborative environment among trainees, emphasizing education throughout the scientific pipeline—from study inception to publication—and building a robust network to support smooth transitions to the next career stage.
Chair: Jaclyn Eisdorfer, PhD
Vice-Chair: Maia Choi
