Professor, UBC Department of Psychiatry, Division of Neuroscience and Translational Psychiatry
Canada Research Chair, Neuroscience
Researcher, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute
Member, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health (DMCBH)
Email: brian.macvicar@ubc.ca
Short Biography
Dr. Brian MacVicar holds the Canada Research Chair in Neuroscience at UBC and is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry. Previously, he was the co-director of the Centre for Brain Health.
Outside of UBC, Dr. MacVicar is also a Fellow of The Royal Society of Canada (FRSC), and Fellow of The Canadian Academy for Health Sciences (FCAHS). In the past, Dr. MacVicar was the Director of the Leducq Foundation Transatlantic Network of Excellence, and the President of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience (CAN), and was instrumental in guiding CAN to create a national neuroscience meeting and to establish a cohesive national identity for the neuroscience community.
Source: Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health (DMCBH), Member
Research Focus
Dr. MacVicar has been a leader in the development and application of advanced brain imaging techniques during his career. He discovered that brain tissue is more transparent in infrared wavelengths, which are used widely to visualize nerve cells in intact brain tissue. With Image Science, a company he founded, he developed software that was widely used to control scientific image acquisition equipment and imaging analysis.
The MacVicar lab has implemented two-photon microscopy and uncaging techniques to investigate and visualize complex interactions in the brain. The application of advanced imaging techniques has allowed his lab to make significant contributions to our understanding of how neuronal activity is regulated and how to protect nerve cells during stroke.
Significant Accomplishments & Professional Contribution
Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
Fellow of the Canadian Academy for Health Sciences
