TXBDC - Key Persons

Dr. Michael Kilgard, is one of the world's leading scientists in the study of neural plasticity. The Margaret Fonde Jonsson Professor and inventor of Targeted Plasticity Therapy (TPT) has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications and overseen the design of nine clinical trials using TPT for tinnitus, ptsd and stroke. Dr. Kilgard received a bachelor's degree in molecular and cell biology from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1993 and a doctorate in neuroscience from the University of California, San Francisco, in 1998. There his research was focused on understanding and directing neuroplasticity within the auditory system. He began teaching at UT Dallas in 1999 as an assistant professor and was promoted to full professor in 2011.

Dr. Robert Rennaker - CTO

Job Titles:

Associate Director
Chief Technology Officer
Texas Instruments Distinguished Chair

Dr. Robert Rennaker, Texas Instruments Distinguished Chair in Bioengineering, is a neural engineer with more than 20 years of experience in the development of neural interfaces. He earned his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in biomedical engineering from Arizona State University with the help of the Whitaker International Fellows and Scholars Program for emerging leaders in biomedical engineering. After seven years on the faculty at the University of Oklahoma, Dr. Rennaker joined UT Dallas as an associate professor. He was promoted to full professor in 2014. Dr. Rennaker served in the U.S. Marine Corps for five years. He was deployed to Operation Desert Storm, Operation Sharp Edge and Operation Provide Comfort. Most recently, he launched two biomedical research companies that manufacture preclinical and clinical devices.

Dr. Seth Hays

Job Titles:

Director of Preclinical Research
Eugene McDermott Professor

Dr. Seth Hays, Eugene McDermott Professor, received his undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Hays is an assistant professor in the Department of Bioengineering at UT Dallas and Director of Preclinical Research for the TxBDC. He oversees research focused on developing vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapies to improve recovery in a variety of models of neurological disease and identifying the neural mechanisms engaged by VNS to support recovery. Dr. Hays was awarded the prestigious American Heart Association Robert G. Siekert New Investigator for Stroke Award in 2015.