Congratulations to Professor Pattie Maes, head of the Fluid Interfaces group, and Professor Ed Boyden, who leads the Synthetic Neurobiology group,  for receiving 2025 seed grants from MIT’s Aging Brain Initiative (ABI), supporting innovative research on neurodegenerative diseases.

Professor Maes is the Germeshausen Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at the MIT Media Lab. She will refine and test a voice-powered AI assistant designed to aid memory and daily living for older adults.

Professor Boyden is Y. Eva Tan Professor in Neurotechnology at MIT, an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the MIT McGovern Institute, and professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Media Arts and Sciences, and Biological Engineering at MIT. He, alongside Laura Kiessling, will study molecular changes in the brain to better understand Alzheimer’s resistance and develop potential new treatments.

These seed grants, funded by philanthropic gifts, provide critical support to launch high-impact projects advancing brain health and aging research across MIT.