Newsmaker: Xinyan Tracy Cui

Noteworthy: Cui, associate professor of bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh's Swanson School of Engineering, won a $2.9 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how to improve brain implant technology. As primary investigator on the project, Cui will lead her team in focusing on microelectrode arrays, or brain implants used to connect mind and machine. Her work aims to advance not only brain-computer interfacing, but other technologies that use brain implants to restore sight, hearing, movement, communication and cognitive function. The research could help patients with many types of neurological disorders and other challenges.

Residence: Wexford

Background: Research scientist at Unilever Research US in Edgewater, N.J.

Family: Married to Lei Li, a University of Pittsburgh professor; two children, ages 8 and 2

Education: Bachelor's degree in polymer materials and chemical engineering and master's degree in biophysics, both from Tsinghua University, Beijing; and a doctorate in macromolecular science and engineering from the University of Michigan.

Quote: The microelectrode devices will get smaller and become smarter. My research will focus on keeping the neurons around those electrodes alive and healthy, and maintaining and enhancing the devices' performance.

Natasha Lindstrom

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Newsmaker: Xinyan Tracy Cui