(Banich, Marie - 2023) -- Distinguished Professorship
Overview
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Banich is a cognitive neuroscientist whose research specializes in using brain imaging techniques to understand the neural systems that allow us to direct our attention and our actions so that we can prioritize, organize, and target our behavior in a goal-oriented manner, abilities often referred to as executive function. Her research reflects the essence of cognitive neuroscience, successfully bridging the gap between psychology and neuroscience.
She is a pioneer in the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This technique measures spatiotemporal changes in blood oxygenation, as opposed to MRI, which is most commonly used to provide a static snapshot of the body’s interior structures. Banich was among the first cohort of investigators to use fMRI to investigate the function of areas of the brain.
More recently, Banich has developed groundbreaking methodological approaches that allow scientists to begin to understand the brain circuits that may be involved in supplanting unwanted thoughts, which commonly occur in individuals with psychological challenges. These novel techniques, many now standards in the field, involve complex integration of neural, physiological, behavioral and computational principles and tools in ways that provide insights into the linkage between certain types of brain function and human behaviors.
Banich’s popular textbook Cognitive Neuroscience (Cambridge Press) is in its fifth edition. Beyond being a thought leader in the field of cognitive neuroscience, Banich is a highly knowledgeable, passionate and rigorous teacher and mentor. A member of the CU Boulder community since 2000, her service achievements include serving as director of the Institute of Cognitive Science (2004-16) and being the founding and current executive director of the Intermountain Neuroimaging Consortium, CU Boulder’s research facility for neuroimaging, since 2010.
