BIO
Agustin Ibanez is an Argentinean neuroscientist interested in global approaches to dementia and social, cognitive, and affective neuroscience. He is a full professor and Director of the Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat) at Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez (UAI, Chile). Also, he is a Senior Atlantic Fellow at GBHI-UCSF, Research Associate Professor at GBHI-Trinity College Dublin, and a Team Leader of Predictive Brain Health Modelling Group, at Trinity College Dublin. Dr. Ibanez holds a track record with +350 publications (+160 in the last five years), including top-ten journals (e.g., Nature Medicine, Lancet Neurology, World Psychiatry, Nature Reviews Neurology, Nature Human Behavior, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, Trends in Neuroscience, Nature Communications, JAMA Neurology, Neuron, Brain, Alzheimer's & Dementia, Nature Mental Health). He has received multiple research funding from different international stakeholders, including, the NIH/NIA, the Alzheimer’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). 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. 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 $23 million in research funding and involve over 60 researchers across 13 sites in the US and Latin America. His team has developed a multicentric framework, based on computational neuroscience and machine learning approaches to maximize replications across diverse and underrepresented populations, heterogeneous settings, and automatic data-driven procedures to classify patients using multilevel feature selection processes. Also, his multicenter protocols include a computational framework integrating different neuroimaging features. He has developed new brain-phenotype models, combining computational neuroscience and social, cognitive and affective neuroscience. Dr Ibanez is an active member of different societies Team taskforce of the Human Affectome Project, former President of the Latin-American Chapter of the Society for Social Neuroscience ISTAART Advisroy Council, and Scientific Advisory Board of AAIC. Agustin has directed or co-directed more than 35 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 ALBA-Elsevier Award on Brain Sciences, 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 Masters’s and Ph.D. programs, organizing educational activities for the health community and focusing on cognitive neuroscience and underrepresented dementia populations. His research has been highlighted in different outlets, including the BBC, Nature, Nature News, 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
- Director, Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat) Adolfo Ibañez University.
- Visiting Professor, Trinity College Dublin, (TCD) Ireland.
- Team Leader, Predictive Brain Health Modelling group, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
- Senior Atlantic Fellow, Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI); UCSF, USA.
- Member of Scientific Researcher Career, CONICET (National Council of Science and Technology), Argentina.
- Full Professor, Center for Social and CognitiveNeuroscience, Adolfo Ibáñez University, Chile.
- Project team member of the Human Affectome Project, USA
- Full member, Medical Sciences Commission for national scholarships, CONICET.
- Director, Platform of Cognitive Neurosciences and Behavioral Sciences of Argentina (PENCO-CONICET)
- Founder and Co-Director, Multi-Partner Consortium to Expand Dementia Research in Latin America (ReDLat)
- Founder and Coordinator, Latin America and the Caribbean Consortium on Dementia (LAC-CD)
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.
02-2024. Infobae. Demencia: 5 avances de la ciencia para combatir esta enfermedad. Info
01-2024. Interview Podcast Mi Ultima Neurona. Salud cerebral y demencia en Latinoamérica 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.
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?
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
01-2018 Clarin Journal. The impact of technology on memory. + Info
01-2018. UAI Web Superelderly: The new trend in old people. + Info
12-2017. La voz Research of the LPEN-INCYT chosen among the 10 Argentine scientific advances of the year.
12-2017. La Nacion journal. Researchers develop a rapid, accurate and economic test to detect Parkinson's in early stages. + Info
11-2017. Oxford University Press A neurocognitive view on the dimensions of Schadenfreude and envy. + Info
10-2017. La Nacion Journal. Envy and pleasure from the suffering of others may be early markers of a type of dementia. + Info
10-2017 Si San Juan. Informative Service. The technological revolution of knowledge is very accelerated and before we know it, it infiltrates our lives in a massive way. + Info .
10-2017. Diario de Cuyo Journal. Technology: they say that use should be limited in children. + Info
10-2017. Radio Nacional- What do we talk when we talk about Tango Brain. + Info
09-2017 La Ultima Noticia Journal. Researchers discover area of the brain that rejoices in the misfortune of others. + Info
09-2017. El Cronista journal IADB and Ineco will study the conduct to elaborate public policies. + Info
08-2017 La Nacion journal. Learning from the big: It's never too late to start over . + Info
08-2017 Web page UAI. CSCN UAI study on terrorists hits international media . + Info
07-2017 El Pais, Uruguay. In the head of terror. + Info
07-2017 La Nacion journal. Argentine scientists unravel the moral judgment of terrorists and identify how to detect frontotemporal dementia. Info
06-2017 La Nacion +. TV. Moral evaluation in terrorist. + Info
06-2017 Perfil journal. Conicet scientists reveal moral code of terrorists. + Info
06-2017 Infobae journal. A scientific study uncovered a key abnormal pattern in the moral judgments of terrorists. + Info
06-2017 Nature Human Behaviour. Understanding and countering terrorism. + Info
06-2017 Dennik Journal. Moral evaluation in terrorist. + Info
06-2017 BBC Web. Terrorists' moral judgment probed in psychology test. + Info
06-2017 Popular Science Web. Scientists are trying to get inside the mind of a terrorist. + Info
06-2017 Seeker Web. Study of Convicted Terrorists Reveals Deviant Moral Judgment. + Info
06-2017 Mail on line Web. Inside the mind of a terrorist: Radicals justify violent actions by focusing only on the end result, study claims. + Info
06-2017 Pacific Standard Web. For Terrorists, morality has a different meaning. + Info
06-2017 Researchgate Web. The moral judgement of terrorists. + Info
06-2017 International Bussines Time UK Web Terrorism psychology: How terrorists justify carrying out atrocities to themselves. + Info
06-2017 Agencia Iberoamericana para la difusión de la ciencia y la tecnología Una investigación profundiza en los patrones cognitivos anormales de los terroristas. + Info
06-2017 Videnskab dk Web Investigation of terrorists: therefore, they kill without moral distress. + Info
06-2017 The British Pyschological Society. On psychological tests comparing 66 terrorists with controls, one key difference stood out. + Info
06-2017 Diario de Cuyo journal. We must develop an informed, critical and committed view. Info
06-2017 La Segunda Journal. Terrorists do not look like psychopaths but rather sociopaths.
06-2017. El Mercurio de Antofagasta journal. People are not aware of their internal body state. + Info
06-2017. El Austral journal. People are not aware of their internal body state. + Info
06-2017. El Llanquihue journal. People are not aware of their internal body state. + Info
06-2017. El Austral de Osorno journal. People are not aware of their internal body state. + Info
06-2017. El Mercurio de Valparaiso journal. People are not aware of their internal body state . + Info
05-2017 Publico. Pt. Web Los terroristas tienen una distorcion del juicio moral. + Info
05-2017. Web Le Monde. Quand le cerveau révèle une incroyable capacité de résilience. + Info
02-2017. Web Conicet. Neurociencias cognitivas aplicadas al sector del conocimiento. + Info
02-2017. La Nacion Journal. Demencias en la vejez: pequeños cambios pueden ayudar a reducir el riesgo. + Info
02-2017. El Tiempo Journal- El riesgo de Demencia se prodria reducir. + 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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