Professor Kwabena Boahen
Currently Professor of Bioengineering, of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University
September 22, 1964
PhD, Caltech (1997)
Electronic Engineer
Designed and fabricated a silicon chip emulating the functioning of the retina that could be used to give the blind sight, a self-organizing chip that emulates the way the developing brain wires itself up, and a mixed analog-digital hardware platform (Neurogrid) that simulates a million cortical neurons in real-time—rivaling a supercomputer while consuming only a few watts. and in his earlier years in high school, he invented a corn-planting machine which won him the national science completion.
Boahen founded and directs Stanford’s Brains in Silicon lab, which develops silicon-integrated circuits that emulate the way neurons compute and computational models that link neuronal biophysics to cognitive behavior. This interdisciplinary research bridges neurobiology and medicine with electronics and computer science, bringing together these seemingly disparate fields.
NIH Director’s Pioneer Award, National Institute of Health (2006) Young Investigator Program, Office of Naval Research (2002-present) Faculty Early Career Program, National Science Foundation (2001-present) Fellowships in Science and Engineering, Packard Foundation (1999-2004)