Top Researchers
Top Neuroscience Researchers at University of Arizona for 2026
The University of Arizona has a broad and active research presence in neuroscience, with recent work spanning sleep, cognition, pain, and brain health. Across the sample reviewed, researchers are connecting basic mechanisms with clinical questions in ways that speak to both laboratory and patient-centered science.
Below, you’ll find a closer look at several investigators whose recent publications reflect that mix of interests, from circadian rhythms and cognitive performance to neuromodulation and neurological outcomes.
Featured Researchers
Michael A. Grandner
Michael A. Grandner’s recent work at the University of Arizona focuses on circadian health, sleep irregularity, and their links to cardiometabolic and well-being outcomes, bridging Experimental and Cognitive Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, and Physiology.
Activity over the last year: 17 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- Role of Circadian Health in Cardiometabolic Health and Disease Risk: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association (Oct 2025)
- Sleep Irregularity and Circadian Rhythmicity: Implications for Health and Well-Being (Jan 2025)
- Concerning the circadian rhythms of prolactin, its secretion timing, and regulation of the affiliative mind (Oct 2025)
William D. S. Killgore
William D. S. Killgore has been examining sleep deprivation, wake regularity, and cognitive symptoms in Long COVID, with work grounded in Experimental and Cognitive Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience.
Activity over the last year: 12 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- Evaluation of Interventions for Cognitive Symptoms in Long COVID (Nov 2025)
- Mapping the Neural Basis of Wake Onset Regularity and Its Effects on Sleep Quality and Positive Affect (Mar 2025)
- Breakdown of thalamocortical connectivity under sleep deprivation: implications for cognitive arousal and transient sleep states (Jan 2025)
Hyochol Ahn
Hyochol Ahn’s recent publications center on home-based transcranial direct current stimulation for pain and related clinical outcomes, spanning Neurology, Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, and Pharmacology.
Activity over the last year: 9 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- Home‐Based, Remotely Supervised Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Improves the Overall Pain Experience of Older Adults With Knee Osteoarthritis (Jan 2025)
- HOME-BASED TRANSCRANIAL DIRECT CURRENT STIMULATION IMPROVES CENTRAL PAIN MECHANISMS AND CLINICAL PAIN IN KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (Apr 2025)
- Transcranial direct current stimulation improves the overall pain experience of older adults with knee osteoarthritis (Jul 2025)
Gene E. Alexander
Gene E. Alexander’s recent studies connect cognitive impairment, vascular health, and processing speed with biomarker and network findings, drawing on Psychiatry and Mental health, Cognitive Neuroscience, and Physiology.
Activity over the last year: 12 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- Cognitive impairment and p‐tau217 are high in a vascular patient cohort (Aug 2025)
- Network segregation is associated with processing speed in the cognitively healthy oldest-old (Mar 2025)
- In an older‐age vascular cohort, carotid stenosis is associated with processing speed and executive function cognitive deficits, which correlate with p‐tau217 (Nov 2025)
Julie G. Pilitsis
Julie G. Pilitsis is publishing on deep brain stimulation, insomnia, and long-term outcomes in depression and Parkinson disease, with research rooted in Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Neurology, and Pharmacology.
Activity over the last year: 9 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- Five-Year Outcomes from Deep Brain Stimulation of the Subthalamic Nucleus for Parkinson Disease (Sep 2025)
- Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (May 2025)
- Revisiting subcallosal cingulate deep brain stimulation for depression: Long-term safety and effectiveness outcomes from a pooled analysis of 172 implanted patients (Aug 2025)
Fabian‐Xosé Fernandez
Fabian‐Xosé Fernandez’s recent work explores sleep biology, circadian rhythms, and related mental health questions, linking Experimental and Cognitive Psychology with Endocrine and Autonomic Systems and Cognitive Neuroscience.
Activity over the last year: 7 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
David Negelspach
David Negelspach’s recent publications address wake onset regularity, sleep deprivation, and morning light exposure, combining Endocrine and Autonomic Systems, Cognitive Neuroscience, and Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience.
Activity over the last year: 10 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- Mapping the Neural Basis of Wake Onset Regularity and Its Effects on Sleep Quality and Positive Affect (Mar 2025)
- Breakdown of thalamocortical connectivity under sleep deprivation: implications for cognitive arousal and transient sleep states (Jan 2025)
- 0887 Daily Morning Blue Light Exposure Affects Polysomnographic Sleep in a Real-World Setting (May 2025)
Juyoung Park
Juyoung Park’s recent work highlights transcranial direct current stimulation for pain, stroke-related recovery, and older adult health, spanning Neurology, Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, and Pharmacology.
Activity over the last year: 10 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- Home‐Based, Remotely Supervised Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Improves the Overall Pain Experience of Older Adults With Knee Osteoarthritis (Jan 2025)
- HOME-BASED TRANSCRANIAL DIRECT CURRENT STIMULATION IMPROVES CENTRAL PAIN MECHANISMS AND CLINICAL PAIN IN KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (Apr 2025)
- Therapeutic Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Functional and Neuropsychological Outcomes in Acute Posterior Circulation Infarction Patients with Ataxia (Jan 2025)
What University of Arizona's Neuroscience Community Is Working On
The most common subfields point to a neuroscience community that is actively working at the intersection of Cognitive Neuroscience, Experimental and Cognitive Psychology, and clinically oriented areas such as Neurology, Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, and Pharmacology. That pattern suggests a strong emphasis on how sleep, cognition, pain, and brain stimulation relate to measurable health outcomes, with many projects linking mechanistic questions to real-world intervention and recovery settings.- Cognitive Neuroscience - seen across 5 of the featured researchers
- Experimental and Cognitive Psychology - seen across 3 of the featured researchers
- Neurology - seen across 3 of the featured researchers
- Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine - seen across 3 of the featured researchers
- Pharmacology - seen across 3 of the featured researchers
Taken together, these researchers show how neuroscience at the University of Arizona brings together cognition, physiology, and clinical application. If you’re exploring similar literature or managing your own manuscript workflow, Resub can help you stay organized as you move from citation discovery to submission prep.
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