Joint AccelNet – EBRAINS session - Advancing Data Standards, Models and Neurotechnology for Arts-in-Medicine
Works of art don’t just entertain, heal or console; they can also promote health, learning, and the development of more humane technologies. Moreover, advances in AI, brain-computer interfacing, and brain modeling enable the study of mechanisms by which the arts have an impact on brain activity and brain health. The panel will discuss challenges and clinical opportunities in advancing data standards, models and neurotechnology for advancing and personalizing arts-in-medicine and promote brain health.
Who You’ll Be Hearing From
This session brings together expert voices from across the EBRAINS community and beyond. Discover the people sharing their insights, research, and perspectives on the topic.
Franco earned his Ph.D. from New York University and completed postdoctoral training at Columbia and Stanford University. He is the Founder and Director of brainlife.io, a public platform for data management and analysis, and the Principal Investigator of the NIH BRAIN CONNECTS Data Coordination Center (brain-connects.org). He also leads the international BRIDGE initiative on data governance and sharing (braindatagovernance.org). His research integrates neuroscience, psychology, computer science, and data science, with expertise in brain connectivity, neuroinformatics, large-scale data integration, and AI-driven research infrastructure.
Distinguished Professor at the University of Houston and Director of the NSF BRAIN Center, Fellow of IEEE and AIMBE for pioneering work in brain-machine interfaces and art-evoked brain activity. He leads research at the intersection of art, science, and neurotechnology, developing personalized arts prescriptions for health. His work has been featured at the Smithsonian, Menil Collection, MARCO Museum (Monterrey, MX), UN AI for Good Summit, Mapping Science and The Economist.
Viktor Jirsa is Chief Science Officer at the EBRAINS AISBL. He studied Theoretical Physics and Philosophy in Stuttgart, Germany, and is Director of Research at Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and Director of the Inserm Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes (INS) at Aix-Marseille University. Since the late 90s, Viktor Jirsa has made pioneering contributions to the understanding of how network structure constrains the emergence of functional dynamics using methods from nonlinear dynamic system theory and computational neuroscience. His work laid the theoretical basis for connectome-based brain modeling. During the Human Brain Project, he led the efforts in personalized brain modeling in epilepsy, ultimately contributing to the digital twin use in brain medicine. He has significant experience in coordinating national and international research consortia and organisations. Since 2005, he has been the leader of the brain simulation platform The Virtual Brain; during 2019-2024 he was scientific coordinator of the clinical trial EPINOV in epilepsy surgery; and since 2024 he coordinates the large European project Virtual Brain Twin to improve medication outcome in schizophrenia.
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