Luca Mazzucato.

Luca Mazzucato

Assistant professor of biology and mathematics
University of Oregon

Luca Mazzucato is assistant professor of biology and mathematics at the University of Oregon. His lab investigates the neural mechanisms of optimal performance in decision-making and sensory perception, and develops brain-computer interfaces to improve cognitive function in primates.

Mazzucato obtained his Ph.D. in theoretical physics at the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) and worked on string theory for several years before switching to neuroscience. He was a Swartz Fellow in Theoretical Neurobiology and a research scientist at Columbia University’s Center for Theoretical Neuroscience. He started his lab at the University of Oregon in 2018.

He is the recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and numerous National Institutes of Health awards. He also runs the Science and Comics Initiative at the University of Oregon, where he works with comic artists to explain neuroscience.

Explore more from The Transmitter

Research image of whole-brain 3D visualizations of pixels colored by their corresponding lipizone.

Lipids enter brain mapping limelight

Two new studies, including the first whole-brain lipid atlas in mice, uncover unforeseen complexity and influence during pregnancy and aging.

By Lauren Schenkman
27 October 2026 | 6 min read
Protein asparagine synthetase in hippocampus neurons.

Behavioral phenomics in zebrafish; and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 26 October.

By Jill Adams
27 October 2026 | 2 min read
Illustration of botanical tree and computer tree growing apart.

Neuroscience gave AI its start. What happens now?

David Sussillo maps the two fields' divergent paths, and where they might still meet.

By Emily Singer
27 October 2026 | 10 min read