Elia Shahbazi

Adjunct Lecturer (Computational Neuroscience Researcher at the National Institutes of Health)

BIO

Elia Shahbazi completed his undergraduate studies in applied mathematics at Sharif University, followed by further studies in pure mathematics and a few years of industry experience. He obtained a Master’s degree in software engineering from East Carolina University and a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Computer Vision from the University of Notre Dame, supervised by Walter Scheirer. During his academic journey, Elia also worked as a researcher for the IARPA program Machine Intelligence from Cortical Networks (MICRONS) and successfully completed his thesis titled “Computer Vision-Based Approaches to Neural Circuit Tracing at Scale.”

In 2018, Elia joined the Neuropsychology Laboratory of the National Institutes of Health. His research revolves around computational neuroscience, focusing on unveiling the causal contribution of the inferior temporal cortex to visual perception. Using techniques such as optogenetics and electrophysiology, he explores perception and behavior in monkeys.

Aside from his academic pursuits, Elia is also multi-talented. He engages in professional photography, hosts a podcast, and demonstrates his culinary skills as a chef.