Biography
Dr. Elena Vasquez is an associate professor of neurobiology whose laboratory develops cutting-edge optical imaging technologies to uncover the dynamic interplay between neural circuits and cerebral vasculature. Her interdisciplinary research program bridges physics, engineering, and neuroscience to produce quantitative insights into how metabolic demand shapes neural computation in health and disease. Dr. Vasquez has authored more than 120 peer-reviewed publications and has been recognized with the NIH Pioneer Award, the Sloan Research Fellowship, and the McKnight Technological Innovations in Neuroscience Award.
Current Position
Associate Professor, Department of Neurobiology
Stanford University School of Medicine
Director, Neurovascular Imaging & Computation Laboratory
Education
- Ph.D., Neurobiology — Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- M.S., Electrical Engineering — Stanford University
- B.S., Biomedical Engineering — University of Texas at Austin
Research Interests
- Optical and computational neuroimaging
- Neurovascular coupling during cognition
- Astrocyte physiology and glial signaling
- Translational biomarkers for neurodegenerative disease
Selected Honors
- NIH Director's Pioneer Award (2023)
- Sloan Research Fellowship in Neuroscience (2020)
- McKnight Technological Innovations in Neuroscience Award (2018)
- Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Imaging Scientist (2017)