BIO

Agustin Ibanez is an Argentinean neuroscientist interested in global approaches to addressing diversity and disparity in brain health. He is a full professor and Director of the Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat) at Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez (UAI, Chile). Also, Agustin is a professor of global brain health, and he directs the International Program in Global Brain Health Research at the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), Trinity College Dublin. He is a Team Leader of the Predictive Brain Health Modelling Group at Trinity College Dublin, a Senior Atlantic Fellow at the GBHI (UCSF), and a Research Associate Professor at GBHI-Trinity College Dublin. He has received multiple research funding from different international stakeholders, including the NIH/NIA, the Alzheimer’s s Association, The Fogarty International Center, the Rainwater Charitable Foundation (Tau Consortium), Takeda, GBHI (USA); the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB); ANID (Chile); COLCIENCIAS (Colombia); DAAD (Germany); CONICET (Argentina); MRC (United Kingdom); and Horizon 2020 (Europe). Dr. Ibanez holds a track record with +370 publications (+160 in the last five years), including top-ten journals (e.g., Nature Medicine, Lancet Neurology, World Psychiatry, Nature Reviews Neurology, Nature Aging, Nature Human Behavior, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, Trends in Neuroscience, Nature Communications, JAMA Neurology, Neuron, Brain, Alzheimer's & Dementia, Nature Mental Health, Lancet Healthy Longevity). As a consultant, he has provided expertise in digital biomarkers and global approaches to dementia for startups and companies. This includes collaborating with Neureka, Cumulus Neuroscience, Altoida, Robin, Prodeo, Lilly, Bluefield, Roche, Cites, and Globant, as well as with the National Institutes of Health of the US as a member of the Special Emphasis Panel of U54 large-scale national grants for new technologies and health. Dr. Ibanez is the founder of significant regional initiatives, such as the Multi-partner consortium to expand dementia research in Latin America (ReDLat); the Latin American and Caribbean Consortium on Dementia (LAC-CD); and the BrainLat, affiliated with the GBHI (UCSF and Trinity), launched in 2021. These projects have received over $28 million in research funding and involve over 100 researchers across 15 sites in the US and Latin America. His team has developed a multicentric framework to address the unique impact of diversity in brain health, using computational neuroscience and machine learning approaches to maximize replications across diverse and underrepresented populations and.heterogeneous settings. He has developed new brain-phenotype models by integrating computational neuroscience with social, cognitive, and affective neuroscience to highlight the biological impact of structural inequalities related to socioeconomic, educational, stress-related, and exposome conditions. Dr. Ibanez is an active member of different societies, a Team taskforce of the Human Affectome Project, a former President of the Latin-American Chapter of the Society for Social Neuroscience, a former co-director of the Institute of Behavioral Sciences and Public Policies and the Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (Argentina), a member of the ISTAART Advisory Council, and a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of AAIC (Alzheimer's Association). Agustin has directed or co-directed more than 40 postgraduate research projects and created and directed the first major in Behavioral Sciences in South America in 2020. He has received prestigious international awards (including the ALBA-Elsevier Award on Brain Sciences, the IgNobel, the Outstanding Latin American Professor award from the Penser Foundation, the Nelson Butters Award of the International Neuropsychological Society; the Latin-American Award of the Society for Psychophysiological Research (four times); the International Society for Neuroimaging in Psychiatry Award) and local recognitions for his work in brain health (Outstanding recognition by the Legislature of Buenos Aires in 2019; and the Outstanding Neighbor Award of San Juan City, his birthplace, in 2021). He also has established current international collaborations with centers of excellence such as the MRC Cognition and Brain Science Unit of Cambridge and the University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom), the University of Heidelberg (Germany), The University of Sydney (Australia), and the Universities of California San Francisco, New York, Caltech, Chicago, and Wisconsin (USA), among others. He is an associate editor of different journals. His intense work has helped Latin American translational neuroscience by establishing a framework to engage scientists through internships, workshops, and master's and Ph.D. programs, organizing educational activities for the health community, and focusing on brain health in underserved and underrepresented populations. His research has been highlighted in different outlets, including the BBC, Nature, Nature News, Nature Medicine, Nature Aging, Nature Social Sciences, Discovery Channel, Popular Science, Daily Mail, Newsweek, Le Monde, and Oxford University Press.

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

2020 - Present
Director. Brainlat . Latin American Brain Health Institute, Adolfo Ibañez University, Chile.

2020 - 2021
Director. CNC. Cognitive Neuroscience Center San Andres University, Argentina.

2019 - Present
Senior Atlantic Fellow of the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI) at California University, San Francisco UCSF

2019 - 2020
Visiting Fellow Advanced Studies Center(CAS) Munich University, Germany

2018 - Present
International Scientific Advisory Board. The United Consortium.

2018 - 2020
Co-Director. Neurosciences and Public Policy Institute, INECO Foundation

2017 - Present
International Scientific Advisory Board. The Human Affectome Project.

2017 - 2019
Technical Director. Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Regional Public Goods Project “Behavioral Insight group for social protection and health policies: A lifespan approach”

2016 - Present
Researcher Full Professor, Center of Cognitive and Social Neuroscience, Adolfo Ibáñez University, Chile

2016 - 2020
Director. Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCYT, CONICET-FAVALORO-INECO), Argentina

2014 - 2020
Associate Researcher, Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders (CCD), Australian Research Council (ARC), Australia

2013 - 2016
Co-director NUFIN (Diego Portales University - INECO Foundation for Neurosciences), Chile

2009 - Present
CIC Member, CONICET, Argentina

Current positions

SCIENCE DIVULGATION

 His work has been highlighted in multiple press releases, such as the BBC, Nature News, Discovery Channel, Popular Science, Daily Mail, Newsweek, Le Monde, and Oxford University Press, among many others.

09-2024. Nature Springer Blog. Understanding brain aging through multimodal diversity and inequality. Info

09-2024. El Espectador. Brain aging: Is your brain aging faster than it should? Info

09-2024. Nature Springer Blog. The tick-tock of your brain is made of exposome. Info

09-2024. El Mecurio. Inequalities and air pollution accelerate brain aging Info

08-2024. El Destape Web. People from more unequal countries have faster brain aging Info

08-2024. Nature Magazine. What accelerates brain ageing? This AI ‘brain clock’ points to answers.   Info

08-2024. TCD News. Research reveals environmental and disease factors can speed up the brain’s biological age. Info

08-2024. Infobae. Preventing dementia: what differences did a study find between Latin American and U.S. populations. Info

08-2024. El Destape Web. Education is one of the most important protective factors against dementia. Info

08-2024. El Mostrador. Educational disparity directly affects brain health. Info

08-2024. Central Web. UAI BrainLat Study: Educational disparity directly affects brain health. Info

07-2024. Interview Lengua Larga Podcast, Center for Cognitive Neurosciences UdeSA  Info

07-2024. Nature Springer Blog. Why universal models of brain health will fail. Info

06-2024. TCD News. New study reveals urgent need for region-specific models to improve brain health in diverse settings. Info

05-2024. GBHI News. Scientists Explore the Global One Health Goals to Stop and Reverse the Loss  of Brain Capital. Info

05-2024. TCD News. The impact of escalating environmental and social challenges on our brains and the planet. Info

04-2024. GBHI News. Unraveling Mechanisms of Dementia in Diverse Populations Using Affordable Neurotechnologies. Info

02-2024. Infobae. Dementia: 5 advances in science to combat this disease. Info

01-2024. Interview Podcast Mi Ultima Neurona. Brain health and dementia in Latin America Info

12-2023. Nature Springer Blog. GloCal brain health and open science. Info

11-2023. GBHI News. Brain Health is Key to a Climate-Friendly Future. Info

11-2023. Nature Springer Blog. Mental Health Disparities and Accelerated Aging in Latin America. Info

11-2023. GBHI News. Innovative Research will Use AI to Understand Dementia's Linguistic Footprint in Latin America. Info

09-2023. Unife TV - La Voz de la Ciudad. Cognitive neuroscience and artificial intelligence studies for dementia characterization Info

09-2023. Canal 13 Chile. Healthy aging in Latin America Info

09-2023. El Destape Web. Monumental study launched to detect linguistic markers of neurodegeneration. Info

08-2023. Intramed Web. Language, diversity and dementia Info

08-2023. La Tercera Web. These are the four factors that most influence the aging of Chileans, according to a study published in Nature. Info

08-2023. Clarin Newspaper. Healthy aging: warning about a factor that puts us at greater risk Info

08-2023. El Espectador Colombia Newspaper. The particular factors that prevent healthy aging in Colombia Info

08-2023. El Destape Web. Poverty is the main risk factor for unhealthy aging. Info

08-2023. Radio Con Vos. How does social inequality influence population aging in Latin America? Info

08-2023. Conicet Dialoga. Study shows how social inequality influences population aging in Latin America. Info

08-2023. Intramed Web. Healthy aging, inequality and diversity Info

08-2023. Noticias UAI. Why do we age differently in Latin America? Info

08-2023. GBHI News. Understanding Healthy Aging and Disparities: New Insights from a Latin American Study. Info

08-2023. Infobae. X-ray of longevity in Latin America: what are the factors that threaten healthy aging? Info

08-2023. Trinity College Dublin News:Trinity research looks to Latin America for clues on healthy ageing Info

07-2023. La Tercera Web. Study predicts that artificial intelligence will transform scientists into "intellectual cyborgs".  Info

07-2023. CNN Chile Interview – Tips to take care of brain health – Sana Mente Info

07-2023. La Tercera Web. Prosociality in times of uncertainty: Taking care of others to take care of ourselves. Info

06-2023. La Voz de America. Urban environments impact quality of life and life expectancy of Latin Americans  Info

05-2023. Documentary Inter-American Development Bank: Health and City: Your zip code matters more than your genetic code. Info

05-2023. CNN Chile Interview - Program Sana Mente: How does the environment affect our brain? Info

05-2023. Podcast Dementia Researcher: Inside the Global Brain Health Institute Info

04-2023. Infobae. Demencia: Como es el sistema de IA que promete dar un diagnostico temprano a pacientes de America Latina. Info

04-2023. Psychiatric Times. How Cities Can Boost Brain Capital Info

04-2023. The Irish Times. Can creative arts projects help people deal with trauma from personal or group conflict? Info

03-2023. GBHI News. Harnessing Visual Artificial Intelligence to Unveil Dementia in Global and Diverse Settings Info

12-2022. Exploring Alzheimer’s Disease Together You Tube Video: What is frontotemporal dementia FTD and how is it different to Alzheimer’s? Info

11-2022. Interview Buena Costumbre Radio: Effects of Covid on our brain health. Info

11-2022. Nota CNN Chile: Covid-19 Brain Impacts Info

10-2022. Noticias UAI Web: What is the future of cognitive neuroscience and will we be able to understand everyday cognition? Info

09-2022. Noticias UAI Web: Can we prevent dementia? Info

09-2022. Noticias UAI Web: Neureka LATAM: BrainLat Researchers develop a mobile application for dementia diagnosis. Info

08-2022. El Destape Web. Public policy and neuroscience, the debt to brain health. Info

08-2022. Interview CNN Chile - Program Sana Mente: We become ill when our social bonds are inadequate. Info

07-2022. La Tercera Web. Chile and the challenge of addressing the brain health in Latin America. Info

03-2022. Interview TV Program La Ventana de San Juan. Talk Neurosciences. Info

03-2022. El Nuevo Diario San Juan. The Economist recommends to invest in brain health this year. Info

02-2022. La Tercera Web. Agustin Ibañez Recommendations. Info

02-2022. Psychiatric Times. Brain Capital: An Emerging Investment Opportunity Info

01-2022. Intramed Web. The costs of empathy and prosociality in pandemic times Info

01-2022. Nature Comms Behavioral & Social Sciences. An International Investigation of the Psychology of COVID-19. Info

01-2022. Infobae. Scientific study advises to care for those who care for themselves against COVID-19 Info

01-2022. Blog Nature (Behavioural and Social Sciences section) The price of prosociality in pandemic times. Info

01-2022. Blog Organization for Human Brain Mapping. Neuroimaging Projects in Latin America. Info

11-2021. Psychiatric Times. Avoiding a Brain Health Innovation Market Failure: Lessons from the Hype Cycle, Info

11-2021. WYLD Network. When social factors do not improve learning: different disruptions across neurodegenerative disease Info

11-2021. GBHI News.Updates on Research and Clinical Networking in Latin America Info

10-2021. Brain Health Interview: GBHI & BrainLat collaboration. Creating Our Future Series, Chile Embassy in Irlanda.

Info

10-2021. La Tercera Web. Study reveals that pediatricians are not using a fundamental tool for treating children. Info

09-2021. Diario de Cuyo web. An elite group of scientists from San Juan, in search of the secrets of dementia Info

09-2021. Infobae. Unexpected source of brain rejuvenation discovered: fecal transplant  Info

09-2021. El Destape Web. Elections 2021: How do we decide who to vote? Info

09-2021 Infobae. A regional study confirmed that the majority of pediatricians know little about the contribution of   behavioral sciences in the medical practice  Info

08-2021. Intramed Web. Behavioral sciences in public policies.  Info

06-2021. Noticias UAI Web. Agustín Ibáñez: Leading Latin American Professor Info

06-2021. GBHI News. Our Inner World of Other´s Emotions Info

06-2021. Diario de Cuyo web. The prolific scientist from San Juan who seeks to be the best professor in Latin America Info

04-2021. Intramed Web. When our inner world shapes the perception of the social universe. Info

04-2021. La Tercera Web. Brain health and post pandemia: Towards a paradigm change. Info

04-2021. El Dia Web. Four of ten adults over 80 years old have dementia in Chile Info

04-2021. Intramed Web. Brain health diplomacy. Info

03-2021. El Pais Web. A study of more than 26,0000 colombian ex combatients explores the origins of violence. Info

02-2021. La Nación web. Neurosciences: in a monumental study, an argentine-colombian team identifies the roots of violent behaviour. Info

01-2021. DICYT Web. Why did some peolple engage in acts of violence during the Colombian civil war?

Info

12-2020. Neurology Blogs. Can Global Health Diplomacy Reduce the Global Burden of Brain Disorders? Info
12-2020. Noticias UAI Web. BrainLat UAI: researching brain health internationally. Info
11-2020. La Nacion. Distractions: Why are mental ramblings so common. Info
11-2020. La Nacion. Neuroscience: Are judges and lawyers free from bias in judging criminal actions? Info
11-2020. La Tercera. Blind justice? Study investigated how language, emotions and intentionality influence judges and lawyers. Info
10-2020. Intramed Web. The power of dementia expertise in Latin America. Info
010-2020. Gente Magazine. A Spanish city speaks backwards and intrigues neuroscientists. Info
10-2020. Noticias UAI Web. Are judges and lawyers free from bias in their moral judgment of criminal actions? Info
10-2020. DICYT. Are judges and lawyers free from bias in their moral judgment of criminal actions? Info
10-2020. La Tercera. Algorithms will help in the early detection of Alzheimer's Info
08-2020. La Nacion. How to train students for jobs that do not yet exist. Info
08-2020. La Nacion. Study: What trait people would associate with support for measures against Covid-19. Info
08-2020. Sci Dev Net. Experts encourage regional cooperation to address dementia Info
08-2020 Intramed Web. The behavioral sciences in the coronavirus era. Info
08-2020. El Arcon with Nora Bar. Radio New Career on Behavioral Science Info
08- Dialoga. The Faces of Words: How Does the Brain Build Meanings? Info
07-2020. Noticias UAI Health and brain capital in post-pandemic.Info
07-2020. Infobae. Why dementia patients in Latin America are more exposed to COVID-19 Info
05-2020 La Tercera Chile. The pandemic of loneliness: why is it so hard for us to be locked up? Info
04-2020 Family On Podcast.How to help preventing dementia? Info
04-2020 Family On Podcast. Dementia, changes and indicators? Info
02-2020 Nature Podcast. Working Scientist podcast: How to get media coverage for your research. Info
02-2020 La Nacion Journal Mario Bunge: the philosopher of an insatiable curiosity and a strong opponent to pseudosciences. Info
01-2020 CNN en Español. Dementia, a crisis that threatens Hispanics. Info
01-2020. Intramed Web. Neurodegenerative diseases. They increased exponentially. Info
11-2019 GBHI News. Global Brain Health Leader Awards For Dementia Prevention, Care And Support Announced. Info
09-2019  Talking about the challenges and opportunities to address dementia in Latin America and Peru. Info
07-2019  Atlantic Fellow Conversations. Podcast. Info
07-2019  Noticias UAI. The impact of cognitive, affective and social Neurosciences. +Info

05-2019  La Nacion journal. What are the knowledge-based services that Argentina exports.+Info

05-2019  Radio 580 Cordoba. Agustin Ibanez on an investigation of the mechanisms addiction to the paco and the effects of the drug.+Info
05-2019   Que pasa. Diario de Chile. Estudio muestra cambios en cerebro de jóvenes encarcelados. +Info

03-2019  Noticias UAI Web. Knowledge based innovation. +Info

02-2019   Diario La Nacion Del Dante a Rodin y Doisneau, relecturas sobre el beso en la semana del amor. +Info

02-2019  La Nacion journal. Crucial advance to know if a person is conscious or not. +Info

01-2019   Duna Radio Chile. How the human brain adapts and relates to technological advances. +Info
01-2019  Perfil Web. The use of social network impairs memory. + Info

01-2019   Radio Duna Chile. The problem of the technologies is not whether they are good or bad, it is that we are cyborgs and we do not realize .+ Info

01-2019 La Tercera Journal Chile. Study reveals that institutionalized young people have a deficit in soft cognitive abilities. + Info

12-2018 Global Brain Health Institute. Dementia in latin america: assessing the present and envisioning the future + Info

11-2018 La Capital journal. Rosario, headquarters of experts in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and cancer research.+ Info

11-2018 Clarin journal. Why are there more homicides on weekends? + Info

09-2018 La Voz del Interior Web. Neurosciences: it's time to develop state policies. + Info

09-2018 El Dia Web. Chile. Failures in language are discovered in patients with Parkinson's. .+ Info

08-2018 Penco Web. The PENCO Platform held its first event open to the community.

08-2018 Isel TV. Cognitive neurosciences. + Info

07-2018 La Mentee Meravigliosa. Schadenfreude: gioia per le disgrazie altrui..+ Info

07-2018 Radio Vorterix. The peace process in Colombia. + Info

07-2018 Conicet Santa Fe Web. In South America & Africa, dementia is devastating. + Info

07-2018 Cronica Web. An Argentine scientist works on the reintegration of ex-guerrillas and paramilitaries in Colombia. I+ Info

07-2018 Aimdigital. All demented. + Info

06-2018 Clarin Journal. The dilemmas of boredom: is it good or bad?+ Info

06-2018 Agencia CyTA. Online. Argentine scientist works on a project to improve the reintegration of former guerrillas and paramilitaries in Colombia + Info

05-2018 CNN Web. A girl who was born without a third of her brain exceeds medical prognosis. + Info

05-2018 Diario La Nacion. Vinculan las neurociencias con las políticas públicas. + Info

05-2018 Perfil Journal. Manes presented an institute to improve public policies from the neurosciences. + Info

05-2018 Infobae Journal. Along with Francisco de Narváez and Juan Manuel Urtubey, Facundo Manes launched a science and policy institute. + Info

05-2018 Scientific America Colombia after violence. + Info

04-2018 Blog IADB. Can We Anticipate The Silent Tsunami Of Dementia In Latin America? + Info

04-2018 Clarin journal. It amazes scientists: she lacks 90% of the frontal cortex of the brain, but can walk and talk. + Info

04-2018 la Nacion Journal. Science: eight years old, part of the brain is missing and his case challenges doctors.+ Info

03-2018 Infobae. Dementias in elderly people in Latin America will quadruple by the year 2050. + Info

innovation

Agustin is thrilled by the innovative application of knowledge about human behavior from neuroscience, social psychology, and cognitive science. He combines different approaches from translational science (experimental data analytics and big/fast/small data), cognitive neuroscience, behavior insights and models of cultural and digital innovation, to provide tailored solutions for different organizations (see examples here) . The recent technological transformations have reconfigured the borders and possibilities of organizations. The multimodal knowledge about human behavior (social, emotional and cognitive roots) represents a fundamental guide to incorporate technological advances and scientific knowledge in order to successfully face the challenges of future organizations.

Agustin has created MindEcoLabs (MELs), a team of multidisciplinary researchers and innovators who apply findings and models from neuroscience, social psychology, cognitive science, and related disciplines to create value and address operational challenges in today’s corporate world. We excel at building models that combine translational science (with experimental interventions), cognitive neuroscience, behavioral insights, and cultural innovation models, together with data analytics in order to design and implement sustainable business solutions.

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