Laboratory of Neuro Imaging Moves to USC
Arthur Toga
By Suzanne Wu
USC is about to get even brainier. Already a leading center for research on the neurological basis of emotion, the university announced today a major cluster hire of an institute with 110 faculty, researchers and multidisciplinary staff in the field of brain mapping and neuroimaging—the critical work that allows us to actually see the physical structure and circuitry that generates our mind, behavior and consciousness.Headlining the move are Arthur W. Toga, professor of neurology and co-director of the Division of Brain Mapping in the Neuropsychiatric Institute at UCLA, and Paul Thompson, professor of neurology and psychiatry at UCLA. Toga is director of the Laboratory of Neuro Imaging (LONI), which will come to USC in the fall, bringing with it a full faculty contingent and international research collaborations.
“USC prides itself on recruiting transformative faculty who excel in their own fields of interest and whose affinity for collaboration helps erase the boundaries between disciplines,” said USC President C. L. Max Nikias. “This cluster hire will help us move one step closer to understanding the structure and function of the human brain. Professors Toga and Thompson—and their talented team—will enhance the quality of this research at USC and improve the lives of people around the world.”