Lisa Aziz-Zadeh, PhD

Lisa Aziz-Zadeh is an associate professor at the Brain and Creativity Institute, the Department of Psychology, and the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of Southern California (USC).

She is the director of the USC Center for the Neuroscience of Embodied Cognition. Her research center utilizes behavioral and neuroimaging methodology (MRI, fMRI, DWI) to better understand how rudimentary sensorimotor systems in the brain may underlie higher cognitive processing, such as language, social cognition, empathy, and creativity.

Her current research also includes understanding how the gut-brain axis modulates behavior. This research includes both neurotypical populations as well as those with autism spectrum disorder, developmental coordination disorder, stroke, and other acquired and developmental neural differences.

She has published numerous articles in high impact journals and her work has been supported by institutes such as the National Institute of Health, the Department of Defense, the American Heart Association, the Dana Foundation, and other institutes.