Headshot of Randy McIntosh.

Randy McIntosh

Director, Institute for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology
Simon Fraser University

Randy McIntosh is professor and BC leadership chair in neuroscience and technology transfer across the lifespan, and director of the Institute for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, at Simon Fraser University. He holds a Ph.D. in psychology and neuroscience with a strong background in statistics. His research journey began at the Rotman Research Institute at the University of Toronto, where he developed a keen interest in understanding aging and cognition. McIntosh is the co-lead for the team that created The Virtual Brain (thevirtualbrain.org), a groundbreaking platform that unites global research efforts.

Explore more from The Transmitter

Trading places: What happens when neuroscience turns into machine learning, and machine learning turns into neuroscience?

Neuroscience has become increasingly concerned with prediction, and machine learning with causal explanation, with each field adopting methods from the other. I asked eight experts to weigh in on what we stand to learn from this exchange.

By Samuel Gershman
23 March 2026 | 22 min read
DNA strand

Exon-skipping approach boosts levels of key Rett syndrome protein

Deleting a small region of the MECP2 gene partially restored function in neurons derived from people with Rett-associated variants.

By Giorgia Guglielmi
20 March 2026 | 5 min read
Collage with a portrait of Caitlin Vander Weele in the foreground.

Frameshift: How Caitlin Vander Weele made science communication her business

Her favorite part of research was talking about it. So she left academia and turned that passion into a successful company.

By Katie Moisse
19 March 2026 | 6 min read