Many bipolar cells expressing LiGluR co-stained with pkc alpha. Image by Neuroscience PhD Program alum Benji Gaub, Isacoff lab.
Director of the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute
Ehud Isacoff
Professor of Neurobiology
Evan Rauch Chair in Neuroscience
Co-Director of The Weill Neurohub

Spearheading Berkeley’s strategic plan for neuroscience since 2013, Ehud Isacoff — the Evan Rauch Chair in Neuroscience — is the director of the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute and leads the Berkeley Brain Initiative, a university-wide effort to accelerate and transform neuroscience discovery. Isacoff also heads the Berkeley Molecular Imaging Center, the Berkeley-Zeiss Brain Microscopy Innovation Center, and is a co-director of the Weill Neurohub.
Executive Committee
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- Silvia Bunge, Professor of Psychology
- Christopher Chang, Professor of Chemistry and Molecular Therapeutics
- Yang Dan, Professor of Neurobiology
- Andrew Dillin, Professor of Immunology & Molecular Medicine
- Dan Feldman, Professor of Neurobiology, Division Head of Neurobiology
- Jack Gallant, Professor of Psychology, Co-director of the Brain Imaging Center
- William Jagust, Professor of Public Health
- Daniela Kaufer, Professor of Integrative Biology
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- Chunlei Liu, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences, Co-director of the Brain Imaging Center
- Bruno Olshausen, Professor of Vision Science & Optometry, Director of the Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience
- Steven Piantadosi, Associate Professor of Psychology, Co-Director of the Institute of Cognitive Brain Sciences
- Michael Silver, Professor of Optometry & Vision Science, Director of the Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics
- Frédéric Theunissen, Professor of Psychology, Director of the Neuroscience PhD Program
- Joni Wallis, Professor of Psychology, Equity Advisor
Executive Committee Staff
- Leleña Avila, Graduate Program Manager
- Dave Schonenberg, HWNI Manager
- Patrick Gutteridge, Senior Director of Development, Berkeley Brain Initiative
- Imran Khan, Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics Executive Director
- Barbara Peterson, HWNI Executive Director
Past Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute Directors
- Carla Shatz, 1997-1999
- Corey Goodman, 1999-2001
- Robert Knight, 2001-2011
- John Ngai, 2011-2013