Top Researchers
Top Neuroscience Researchers at Cornell University for 2026
Cornell University’s recent neuroscience output shows a broad mix of clinical, imaging, and molecular work, with researchers linking brain function, disease progression, and fluid dynamics across a range of questions. The last year’s publications sampled here point to a community that moves comfortably between experimental neuroscience and translational studies.
Below, you’ll find a closer look at the Cornell researchers whose recent work has been especially active in neuroscience. The themes include neurodegeneration, connectomics, glymphatic function, and related approaches that help clarify how the brain changes across health and disease.
Featured Researchers
Gloria Chiang
Gloria Chiang’s recent Cornell University work centers on psychiatry and mental health, physiology, and cellular and molecular neuroscience, with publications examining beta-amyloid, tau accumulation, and glymphatic imaging in Alzheimer’s disease.
Activity over the last year: 16 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- Inter-network functional connectivity increases by beta-amyloid and may facilitate the early stage of tau accumulation (Jan 2025)
- Divergent neurodegeneration associations with choroid plexus volume and degree of calcification in cognitively normal APOE ε4 carriers and non-carriers (Apr 2025)
- Brain glymphatic fluid mapping in Alzheimer’s disease: a human MRI and PET study (Jan 2025)
Tracy Butler
Tracy Butler’s recent Cornell University publications focus on psychiatry and mental health, physiology, and cellular and molecular neuroscience, including studies of beta-amyloid-linked connectivity and choroid plexus changes.
Activity over the last year: 15 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- Inter-network functional connectivity increases by beta-amyloid and may facilitate the early stage of tau accumulation (Jan 2025)
- Divergent neurodegeneration associations with choroid plexus volume and degree of calcification in cognitively normal APOE ε4 carriers and non-carriers (Apr 2025)
- Brain glymphatic fluid mapping in Alzheimer’s disease: a human MRI and PET study (Jan 2025)
Liangdong Zhou
Liangdong Zhou’s Cornell University research spans cellular and molecular neuroscience, radiology, nuclear medicine and imaging, and psychiatry and mental health, with recent work on glymphatic mapping and interstitial fluid dynamics in Alzheimer disease.
Activity over the last year: 12 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- Divergent neurodegeneration associations with choroid plexus volume and degree of calcification in cognitively normal APOE ε4 carriers and non-carriers (Apr 2025)
- Brain glymphatic fluid mapping in Alzheimer’s disease: a human MRI and PET study (Jan 2025)
- Diffusion Tensor Imaging along the Perivascular Space for Characterizing Cerebral Interstitial Fluid Dynamics in Alzheimer Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Aug 2025)
Andrew G. Lee
Andrew G. Lee’s Cornell University publications this period are concentrated in neurology, including an evidence-based analysis of pathophysiology in Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome.
Activity over the last year: 9 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
Amy Kuceyeski
Amy Kuceyeski’s Cornell University work bridges cognitive neuroscience, imaging, and pathology, with recent studies on network control energy, connectome translation, and adolescent risk.
Activity over the last year: 10 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- Network control energy reductions under DMT relate to serotonin receptors, signal diversity, and subjective experience (Apr 2025)
- Krakencoder: a unified brain connectome translation and fusion tool (Jun 2025)
- Socioemotional and Executive Control Mismatch in Adolescence and Risks for Initiating Drinking (Sep 2025)
Samantha Keil
Samantha Keil’s Cornell University research connects cellular and molecular neuroscience, neurology, and experimental and cognitive psychology, with recent publications on glymphatic dysfunction and interstitial fluid dynamics in Alzheimer’s disease.
Activity over the last year: 9 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- Glymphatic dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease: A critical appraisal (Jul 2025)
- Brain glymphatic fluid mapping in Alzheimer’s disease: a human MRI and PET study (Jan 2025)
- Diffusion Tensor Imaging along the Perivascular Space for Characterizing Cerebral Interstitial Fluid Dynamics in Alzheimer Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Aug 2025)
Moustafa T. Gabr
Moustafa T. Gabr’s Cornell University work brings together oncology, computational theory and mathematics, and organic chemistry, including efforts on SLIT2/ROBO1 screening and TREM2-focused molecular discovery.
Activity over the last year: 7 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- Optimization and development of a high-throughput TR-FRET screening assay for SLIT2/ROBO1 interaction (May 2025)
- Discovery of a Small Molecule TREM2 Agonist with Improved In Vitro Pharmacokinetic Profile and Validated Target Engagement (Jul 2025)
- TREM2 and LAG-3 in cancer and Alzheimer’s disease immunotherapy (Jul 2025)
Qolamreza Razlighi
Qolamreza Razlighi’s Cornell University publications emphasize cognitive neuroscience, psychiatry and mental health, and physiology, with recent work on beta-amyloid connectivity, tau deposition, and cognitive deficits.
Activity over the last year: 9 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- Inter-network functional connectivity increases by beta-amyloid and may facilitate the early stage of tau accumulation (Jan 2025)
- Divergent neurodegeneration associations with choroid plexus volume and degree of calcification in cognitively normal APOE ε4 carriers and non-carriers (Apr 2025)
- Heterogeneous tau deposition patterns in the preclinical stage link to domain‐specific cognitive deficits (May 2025)
What Cornell University's Neuroscience Community Is Working On
Across the featured Cornell neuroscience researchers, psychiatry and mental health, cellular and molecular neuroscience, and physiology appear most often, suggesting strong attention to how brain disorders develop and how biological systems respond over time. Imaging and neurology also show up repeatedly, reflecting a community that is actively pairing MRI, PET, and network-based methods with disease-focused questions. The overall pattern is one of translational neuroscience: understanding mechanisms, measuring brain change, and connecting those findings to cognition and clinical outcomes.- Psychiatry and Mental health - seen across 4 of the featured researchers
- Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience - seen across 4 of the featured researchers
- Physiology - seen across 3 of the featured researchers
- Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging - seen across 2 of the featured researchers
- Neurology - seen across 2 of the featured researchers
From Alzheimer’s-related imaging and fluid dynamics to network analysis, neuro-ophthalmology, and molecular target discovery, Cornell’s neuroscience researchers are working across scales and methods. Explore the profiles below to see how these strands connect, and consider using Resub to streamline citation discovery, manuscript formatting, and submission preparation for your own projects.
Top researchers use tools to scale their productivity and impact. Try Livewrite for free today.