ENG faculty honored for cutting-edge biomedical research that offers hope for patients
By Rich Barlow
Assistant Professor Brian DePasquale (BME) and Assistant Professor Michael Economo (BME) have earned 2026 Sloan Research Fellowships. DePasquale develops mathematical models to characterize how neurons in the brain generate movements, decisions, and perceptions of the world, while Economo (ENG’12) builds tools to observe the brain and studies how the brain plans and controls movement.
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation gave 126 fellowships this year to early-career researchers from 44 institutions in the United States and Canada; the list was selected from more than 1,000 nominations. The prestigious honor (59 fellows have gone on to win Nobel Prizes) has been awarded annually since 1955 to researchers “whose creativity, innovation, and research accomplishments make them stand out as the next generation of leaders,” in the foundation’s words.
“It is gratifying to see two of our College of Engineering faculty earn such a prestigious award. The Sloan Research Fellowship is the latest in a string of well-deserved honors for both of them,” says Elise Morgan, ENG dean and Maysarah K. Sukkar Professor of Engineering Design and Innovation. “In different and innovative ways, Mike and Brian are both working at the intersection of neuroscience and computational science. Not only is their research broadening our understanding of how humans and other animals perceive and move about the world, but also it might someday help restore that freedom of movement to people who have lost it.”
Each fellow receives $75,000 over two years to advance their work. Both BU recipients say their grants will pave avenues of investigation into the mysteries of the brain that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.