Research Description
Flavio received a degree in electrical engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, an International Diploma in electrical engineering at the Imperial College in London, his PhD in computational neurobiology at UC San Diego, and his MA in clinical psychology at UNC – Chapel Hill. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University where he made the breakthrough discovery that the electric fields generated by the brain represent an active neuronal communication mode. In 2011, Flavio moved to UNC to translate this discovery into novel therapeutic strategies for disorders of the brain.
Flavio is currently a tenured professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Cell Biology and Physiology, where he also serves as Associate Vice Chair for Research. In addition, he is a member of the UNC Neuroscience Center and holds adjunct appointments in Biomedical Engineering and Neurology. He is also an adjunct professor of neurology at the University of Bern in Switzerland.
Flavio’s goal is to revolutionize how we treat psychiatric illnesses. His vision is that understanding brain network activity will enable the development of novel diagnosis and treatment paradigms. Flavio is convinced that such rational design of neurotherapeutics will open the door for individualized, highly effective brain stimulation in psychiatry. His research in transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) for treatment-resistant depression has achieved response rates of up to 80% in clinical trials. Flavio is passionate about combining different methodological approaches to scientific problems and is a pioneer in the field of network neuroscience. His research integrates neurobiology, engineering, and medicine. The Frohlich Lab (1) performs computational modeling, (2) combines electrophysiology, imaging, brain stimulation, and behavioral assays in animal models, (3) records and modulates human brain activity, and (4) studies new treatments in randomized controlled clinical trials. Flavio is the director of the Carolina Center for Neurostimulation, which integrates brain stimulation research and clinical trials in depression and anxiety.
Flavio has received funding for his research from the National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the Brain Behavior Foundation, the Human Frontier Science Program, and the Foundation of Hope. Flavio is the author of the textbook Network Neuroscience, frequently presents his work at invited meetings and seminars, and has been recognized by numerous awards, including the NIMH Award for Innovative New Scientists in Biobehavioral Research and a NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Award. Flavio is also the founder of Pulvinar Neuro LLC, a neurotechnology company that received FDA Breakthrough Device designation and was acquired, and co-founder of Qortical Clinical Partners, a specialized CRO focused on neurotechnology clinical trials.
