The National Science Foundation Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation awarded the University of California Irvine $106,018 on January 15, 2026, under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) to develop mathematical models and control mechanisms for analyzing and optimizing electrical brain stimulation strategies to treat epilepsy and other neurological disorders.
The research will construct dynamical models incorporating epileptic data to predict seizure onset and spread, characterize novel dynamical biomarkers explaining qualitative changes in neurological oscillations, and derive control mechanisms to regulate spatiotemporal network dynamics. The work aims to establish a theoretical basis for noninvasive brain-network stimulation that improves upon empirically tuned clinical stimulation signals and parameters. The project encompasses graduate and undergraduate educational initiatives, community outreach, and multidisciplinary dissemination activities in neuroscience.
Place of performance is Irvine, California. The period of performance runs from January 15, 2026, through September 30, 2027.