Our Vision
The vision of the Centre for Neural Engineering is to enable the reverse-engineering of the mammalian brain, thus solving possibly the greatest remaining challenge in science. We will draw upon Australia's extensive expertise of engineers, neuroscientists, psychologists, biologists, physicists and mathematicians to nurture our local talent as well as to engage in collaboration with experts around the world. As society directts more attention to the role our mind plays in the general health and wellbeing of our society, it becomes more and more relevant to to provide technological insights into how function and behaviour emerges from a massive assembly of neurons. We aim to take the lead in this discovery and the prospects of unlocking the secret of concious behaviour will herald a new era of innovation, engineering and design.
Our Goals
Our goals will be to develop the engineering tools to reverse-engineer the brain. They will be advanced through projects developed upon three goals/themes that fit together to answer the big question - "How does the brain work?". We believe that the success of our centre can be measured by how well these goals have been accomplished. Our goals are:
- The development of integrated multiscale models of the brain.
- The engineering of pioneering neuronal interfaces to interact with neuronal networks at better spatial and temporal resolutions.
- The mentoring of early-career researchers for inter-disciplinary research for a working knowledge across many fields.
Our Focus
As a centre that is supported by the public, we will focus upon providing engineering solutions that are the most important to the public. These programs/projects are guided by areas that we predict will become more aligned to the public need as we move further into the 21st century:
- Auditory Pathways and Cortex
- Visual Pathways and Cortex
- Epilepsy and Cortical Stability
Programs will be develped around these three socially impactful areas chosen to simultaneously maximise research potential as well as to address costly social issues that plague our community.