PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Amy Orsborn

Also known as Amy L. Orsborn

Amy Orsborn is a neuroengineer who develops brain-machine interfaces that use machine learning and the brain’s own adaptation. She earned an engineering physics degree at Case Western Reserve University in 2007 and a joint Berkeley–UCSF bioengineering doctorate in 2013, then developed neural implants at NYU. After joining the University of Washington in 2018, she contributed to the A3D3 Institute’s AI research and coauthored a 2026 framework that used game theory to predict how users and adaptive interfaces interact. She received an NSF CAREER award in 2024, a Sloan Research Fellowship in 2025 and a Fulbright award for 2026–2027. As of October 2026, she is the Cherng Jia and Elizabeth Yun Hwang Endowed Professor in electrical and computer engineering and bioengineering at Washington, and a scientific adviser for Meta Reality Labs.

Works
69
Citations
1,791
h-index
20

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 27 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 2007–2013

    Physics and a bioengineering doctorate

    She earns a bachelor’s degree in engineering physics at Case Western Reserve University in 2007. In 2013, she completes a PhD in the UC Berkeley–UCSF Joint Graduate Program in Bioengineering, with doctoral research in Jose Carmena’s lab at Berkeley.

  2. 2014–2018

    Neural implants at NYU

    From 2014 to 2018, Orsborn works in the Pesaran Lab at New York University’s Center for Neural Science. She develops implants that monitor neural circuits in non-human primates and receives a L’Oréal USA for Women in Science postdoctoral fellowship for this research in 2016.

  3. January 2017

    Faster brain-machine interface control

    In January 2017, she coauthors “Rapid control and feedback rates enhance neuroprosthetic control” in Nature Communications. Experiments in two monkeys show that sending control commands more frequently improves brain-machine interface performance, with further improvements from faster visual feedback.

  4. 2018

    Joining the Washington faculty

    In 2018, she joins the University of Washington as a Clare Boothe Luce Assistant Professor in the departments of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Bioengineering. She also becomes a faculty member affiliated with the Center for Neurotechnology.

  5. September 2021

    AI research at A3D3

    In September 2021, Orsborn is part of the new Accelerated AI Algorithms for Data-Driven Discovery Institute, a University of Washington-led partnership funded by the National Science Foundation. Its neuroscience program focuses on AI algorithms for real-time analysis of neural datasets, including electrical recordings from implanted electrodes.

  6. 2024

    An NSF CAREER award

    She receives a National Science Foundation CAREER award in 2024 to study how the brain and nervous system respond to sensorimotor neural interfaces. The project aims to build computational methods for interfaces that adapt to their users, and also supports education for underrepresented students in STEM.

  7. February 2025

    A Sloan Research Fellowship

    In February 2025, she receives a Sloan Research Fellowship. Her research uses brain-computer interfaces and computational models to study how neurons work together during movement learning.

  8. March 2026

    Game theory for neural interfaces

    In March 2026, she coauthors “Computational framework to predict and shape human–machine interactions in closed-loop, co-adaptive neural interfaces” in Nature Machine Intelligence. The team combines control theory and game theory to predict how users and adaptive decoding algorithms interact, and tests the framework with 14 people controlling a cursor through muscle signals.

  9. 2026–2027

    A Fulbright for Portugal

    For 2026–2027, Orsborn is named a Fulbright Scholar. The award supports a planned visit to the Champalimaud Institute for Restorative Neurotechnology in Lisbon to study motor learning and explore adaptive brain-computer interfaces for stroke rehabilitation.

  10. As of October 2026

    Endowed professor at Washington

    As of October 2026, she holds the Cherng Jia and Elizabeth Yun Hwang Endowed Professorship in Electrical & Computer Engineering and Bioengineering at the University of Washington. Her lab develops adaptive neural interfaces that engage the brain’s ability to learn, and she also serves as a scientific adviser for Meta Reality Labs.

Career

  1. NowUniversity of WashingtonCherng Jia and Elizabeth Yun Hwang Endowed Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Bioengineering
  2. 2014–2018New York UniversityPostdoctoral Researcher

Education

  1. 2013University of California, BerkeleyJoint PhD in Bioengineering
  2. 2013University of California, San FranciscoJoint PhD in Bioengineering
  3. 2007Case Western Reserve UniversityBachelor's Degree in Engineering Physics

From the biography and OpenAlex affiliations (the years of papers that list the organization), so some years are approximate.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

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  1. New Faculty Hire Profile: Amy Orsborn ee.washington.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  2. Brain-Machine Interface Systems Laboratory — People people.eecs.berkeley.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  3. Amy Orsborn | UW College of Engineering engr.washington.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  4. At the crossroads of engineering and neuroscience: Amy Orsborn studies adaptive neural interfaces centerforneurotech.uw.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  5. Rapid control and feedback rates enhance neuroprosthetic control nature.com. Checked 27 October 2026.
  6. New NSF-funded institute to harness AI for accelerated discoveries in physics, astronomy and neuroscience washington.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  7. Amy Orsborn receives NSF CAREER award to study how the brain responds to using neural interfaces ece.uw.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  8. Three UW scientists named Sloan Fellows washington.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  9. Computational framework to predict and shape human–machine interactions in closed-loop, co-adaptive neural interfaces nature.com. Checked 27 October 2026.
  10. WaNBRC’s Orsborn Earns Fulbright, Will Study Learning and Movement in Portugal wanbrc.uw.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  11. Amy Orsborn | UW Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering people.ece.uw.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  12. UW research team applies game theory to create a new framework for neural interface design ece.uw.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.