Renowned neuroscientist James DiCarlo, holding the prestigious Peter de Florez Professorship in Neuroscience, has now taken the helm as director of the MIT Quest for Intelligence. This pioneering initiative, established in 2018, aims to unravel the mysteries of natural cognition, establish groundbreaking frameworks for artificial intelligence, and develop innovative solutions and technologies that benefit humanity.
In his new capacity, DiCarlo will spearhead strategic partnerships with leading researchers both at MIT and globally, fostering rapid advancements in our comprehension of intelligence while catalyzing the creation of next-generation intelligent systems and applications.
"Our research has unveiled remarkable synergies between biological and artificial intelligence systems," explains DiCarlo, who currently serves as head of the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences (BCS). "The scientific exploration of natural cognitive processes and the development of AI technologies with meaningful real-world applications represent interconnected facets of a unified, collaborative grand scientific endeavor—one where MIT must maintain its leadership position."
The initiative's leadership team includes distinguished experts such as Aude Oliva, a senior research scientist at the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and MIT director of the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab, who will spearhead corporate partnerships as director of MIT Quest Corporate. Nicholas Roy, professor of aeronautics and astronautics and CSAIL member, will guide systems development as director of MIT Quest Systems Engineering. Daniel Huttenlocher, dean of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, will serve as the chair of MIT Quest.
"Our carefully assembled leadership team has strategically positioned MIT Quest to advance our collective understanding of both natural and artificial intelligence domains," states Huttenlocher, the Henry Ellis Warren (1894) Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. "I'm thrilled that Jim is stepping into this pivotal role to guide our mission forward."
DiCarlo will transition from his current position as BCS department head, a role he has effectively held for nearly nine years, while maintaining his faculty position within BCS and continuing his investigative work at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research.
"Jim has demonstrated exceptional leadership capabilities, driving significant progress within his department, across the School of Science, and throughout the broader Institute community," notes Nergis Mavalvala, dean of the School of Science and the Curtis and Kathleen Marble Professor of Astrophysics. "I anticipate remarkable contributions from him in this new leadership capacity."
During his tenure as department head, DiCarlo guided transformative advancements in both scientific research and educational innovation. Approximately 25% of current BCS faculty members were recruited under his leadership, significantly enhancing the department's expertise in cognitive science, systems neuroscience, and cellular and molecular brain research. Furthermore, DiCarlo established a new computational focus within the department, strengthening collaborative relationships with the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing and other MIT entities including the Center for Brains, Minds and Machines. He also created and continues to lead an NIH-funded graduate training initiative in computationally-enabled integrative neuroscience. These efforts have positioned BCS among the few departments worldwide employing engineering principles to decode how human consciousness emerges from the brain's biological architecture.
Recognizing the evolving landscape of brain sciences, DiCarlo partnered with BCS Associate Department Head Michale Fee to completely redesign the Course 9 curriculum, ensuring students receive cutting-edge education. Additionally, through collaboration with the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, BCS launched an innovative interdisciplinary major, Course 6-9 (Computation and Cognition), addressing burgeoning student interest in this emerging field. Remarkably, within just its second year, this new program has already attracted over 100 undergraduate majors.
Beyond academic achievements, DiCarlo has diligently cultivated an inclusive, interconnected, and supportive environment throughout the BCS community housed in Building 46. His collaborative approach to problem-solving has been evident in all his initiatives. He credits much of this progress to fruitful partnerships with distinguished colleagues including Li-Huei Tsai, the Picower Professor of Neuroscience and director of the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory; Robert Desimone, the Doris and Don Berkey Professor and director of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research; along with contributions from numerous faculty and staff members. Notably, working alongside associate department head Professor Rebecca Saxe, DiCarlo enhanced graduate student mentorship programs, and in partnership with postdoc officer Professor Mark Bear, established pioneering postdoc compensation and benefit standards that have since been adopted as Institute-wide models. More recently, DiCarlo has collaborated with new associate department head Professor Laura Schulz to develop meaningful initiatives addressing systemic racism while advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice within the department.
"As we move forward, I fully endorse Jim's vision for the department's research and educational trajectory, as well as his commitment to strengthening our community bonds, particularly concerning diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice initiatives," affirms Mavalvala. "I remain dedicated to supporting his successor in advancing these important objectives while preserving BCS's outstanding intellectual legacy."
DiCarlo's personal research employs an innovative multidisciplinary approach, integrating large-scale neurophysiology, advanced brain imaging techniques, optogenetic methods, and sophisticated computational simulations to decode the neural mechanisms and cortical computations that form the foundation of human visual intelligence. Through studies involving animal models, DiCarlo and his research team have identified precise parallels between biological visual system processes and specific computer vision architectures. Their groundbreaking work has demonstrated how these cross-disciplinary connections enable novel approaches to modulating deep brain neurons and enhancing artificial vision systems. The overarching goals of his laboratory include developing more human-like computer vision technologies, creating advanced neural prosthetics to restore or enhance sensory capabilities, designing innovative learning strategies, and elucidating how visual cognition is affected in conditions such as agnosia, autism, and dyslexia.
DiCarlo's academic credentials include both a PhD in biomedical engineering and an MD from The Johns Hopkins University, earned in 1998, followed by postdoctoral training in primate visual neurophysiology at Baylor College of Medicine. He became a member of MIT's faculty in 2002, where he has since established himself as a leading figure in neuroscience and artificial intelligence research.
MIT will form a search committee early this year to identify and recommend candidates for the next BCS department head. DiCarlo will continue to provide leadership for the department until his successor is appointed.
