New Faculty Spotlight: Timothy E. Brown

What is your Research Focus?

My work explores issues surrounding current and next-generation neurotechnologies using Black, Latinx, and queer feminist frameworks. Much of my research can be organized into three related programs on: (1) the ethics of how neurotechnologies alter experiences; (2) the possibility of deep, interdisciplinary collaborations between technologists and humanists; and (3) the social justice implications of neurotechnology research and design.

Currently, I lead neuroethics efforts within the NIH-supported Mammalian Human Brain Atlas consortium, which aims to create a functional map of the various brain cell types across four species. My main goal within the project is to prevent marginalized groups from being excluded from this pivotal research, as well as to devise ways for the project to enrich the communities it impacts. I also lead similar efforts within an NSF-supported project exploring potential brain-computer interfaces that simultaneously stimulate and record from the brain. My goal within this project is to trace the social justice implications of controlling these systems using artificial intelligence and machine learning.

What opportunities at the UW excite you?

Being at the UW is exciting because very few universities have the kind of collaborative, interdisciplinary atmosphere UW does. In my experience, faculty at the UW regularly produce deeply imaginative research because they work across and beyond disciplines. I am also excited to explore my new home within the School of Medicine and build even deeper relationships with clinicians, hospitalists, and (most importantly) members of communities UW Medicine serves.