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Seeing more in expansion microscopy

In biology, seeing can lead to understanding, and researchers in Edward Boyden’s lab at MIT’s McGovern Institute are committed to bringing life into sharper focus. With a pair of new methods, they are expanding the capabilities of expansion microscopy—a high-resolution imaging technique the group introduced in 2015—so researchers everywhere can see more when they look […]


Our Values

We bring together people of all backgrounds and viewpoints to study the brain in health and disease.  We believe that a diverse and inclusive community is critical to the advancement of science and we are committed to creating an atmosphere of civility, collegiality, and mutual respect that stimulates and supports all McGovern employees in their work. […]


25th Anniversary Symposium

Celebrating 25 Years of Discovery at the McGovern Institute Date: Friday, April 11, 2025 Location: MIT Building 46, Singleton Auditorium (Room 46-3002), 524 Main Street, Cambridge, MA Time: 1:00 p.m. – 5:20 p.m. EDT with reception to follow Registration is required This spring, to celebrate 25 years of discovery, the McGovern Institute is hosting a […]


Evelina Fedorenko receives Troland Award from National Academy of Sciences

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) announced today that McGovern Investigator Evelina Fedorenko will receive a 2025 Troland Research Award for her groundbreaking contributions towards understanding the language network in the human brain. The Troland Research Award is given annually to recognize unusual achievement by early-career researchers within the broad spectrum of experimental psychology. Fedorenko, […]


How one brain circuit encodes memories of both places and events

Nearly 50 years ago, neuroscientists discovered cells within the brain’s hippocampus that store memories of specific locations. These cells also play an important role in storing memories of events, known as episodic memories. While the mechanism of how place cells encode spatial memory has been well-characterized, it has remained a puzzle how they encode episodic […]


Scientists engineer CRISPR enzymes that evade the immune system

The core components of CRISPR-based genome-editing therapies are bacterial proteins called nucleases that can stimulate unwanted immune responses in people, increasing the chances of side effects and making these therapies potentially less effective. Researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and Cyrus Biotechnology have now engineered two CRISPR nucleases, Cas9 and Cas12, to […]


Feng Zhang awarded 2024 National Medal of Technology

This post is adapted from an MIT News story. *** Feng Zhang, the James and Patricia Poitras Professor of Neuroscience at MIT and an Investigator at the McGovern Institute, has won the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the nation’s highest recognition for scientists and engineers. The prestigious award recognizes “American innovators whose vision, intellect, […]


How the brain prevents us from falling

This post is adapted from an MIT research news story. *** As we navigate the world, we adapt our movement in response to changes in the environment. From rocky terrain to moving escalators, we seamlessly modify our movements to maximize energy efficiency and our reduce risk of falling. The computational principles underlying this phenomenon, however, […]


For healthy hearing, timing matters

When soundwaves reach the inner ear, neurons there pick up the vibrations and alert the brain. Encoded in their signals is a wealth of information that enables us to follow conversations, recognize familiar voices, appreciate music, and quickly locate a ringing phone or crying baby. Neurons send signals by emitting spikes—brief changes in voltage that […]


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