Maryam Shanechi

Maryam Shanechi is the Alexander A. Sawchuk Chair and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Computer Science at the University of Southern California (USC). She is also the Founding Director of the USC Center for Neurotechnology. Before joining USC in 2014, she held a faculty position at Cornell University and completed postdoctoral research at Harvard Medical School and UC Berkeley.

She earned her B.A.Sc. in Engineering Science from the University of Toronto in 2004, followed by her S.M. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT in 2006 and 2011.

Her pioneering research combines artificial intelligence, machine learning, and neuroscience to develop brain–computer interfaces that decode movement and mental states from neural activity. Her work advances adaptive neurostimulation and personalized treatments for neurological and psychiatric disorders. Her honors include the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, NSF CAREER Award, One Mind Rising Star Award, and election as an IEEE Fellow in 2024.