About InterfaceNeuro

Brief History

The InterfaceNeuro conference began in 2022 as an extension of The Rice Neuroengineering Initiative. The conference aimed to raise global awareness of the NEI research portfolio by hosting an international neuroengineering conference. Entitled "Neurocon 2022," the two-day conference hosted around 150 participants from across the U.S. and Europe. Since that time, the conference has been rebranded twice, first as "InterfaceRice," with conferences under that title held in 2023 and 2024. Later in 2024, the Rice Neuroengineering Initiative and the Georgia Tech Neural Next Initiative agreed to jointly host this conference under the title "InterfaceNeuro," with even years held on the Georgia Tech campus and odd years at the Bioscience Research Collaborative at Rice University.

Mission and Scope

InterfaceNeuro is a conference whose program and activities are designed to attract a mix of neuroscientists, engineers, investors, entrepreneurs, patients, and other stakeholders. The conference ranges from researchers advancing our understanding of neuroscience to engineers shaping neurotechnologies for diagnosing and treating diseases. Throughout the conference, a focus is placed on current topics, recent breakthroughs, and emerging issues in neurotechnology as they affect a wide range of neurological diseases and conditions. Past conference sessions at InterfaceNeuro have included:

• Recent innovations in peripheral nerve stimulation
• Neurotech Commercialization
• Neuroscience and Behavior Tracking
• Monitoring the physiology in the deep brain region
• Learning from neuronal signals
• Hybrid control of robotic and neuromodulation systems
• Neurotech for mental health
• Redefining Brain Machine Interfaces
• Beyond Behavior: Joint Modeling of Brain and Behavior

Education

InterfaceNeuro is one of the few conferences in the neuroengineering/neurotech space that is hosted on the campuses of two world-leading universities. The conference gives equal weight to the advanced training of future engineers and neuroscientists through poster sessions, student travel awards, lightning talks, and keeping registration costs for participating students affordable or free for participants and volunteers. The conference is also looking to expand into more discussions on future job training ideas and best practices as we look at the future of our field.

Past Conferences

May 12- 13, 2022 — Rice Neurocon - "Restoring and Extending the Human Brain"

The first Rice conference on Neuroengineering was entitled "Neurocon: Restoring and Extending the Human Brain". The keynote speaker for the first conference was Dr. Ed Boyden, professor of neurotechnology at MIT and a pioneer in optogenetics. The conference welcome was given by Rice University President, Dr. Reginald Des Roches, and included sessions on: Functional Imaging and Stimulation, Emerging Approaches in Noninvasive Neuromodulation, Decoding and Modulation of Human Language, Smart Prosthetics, Translational Neuroengineering, and a panel entitled "NeuroHTX" that looked at key neuroscience, neurosurgery, and engineering hubs in Houston.

May 18-19, 2023 — InterfaceRice

The Rice Neuroengineering Initiative will hold its annual conference, InterfaceRice at the Bioscience Research Collaborative adjacent to the Rice University campus. A unique international conference in the heart of the Texas Medical Center, InterfaceRice brings together a cross-section of leaders in academic research, neurotech development, and clinical practice to discuss recent advancements in Neuroengineering and related fields. Since the Rice Neuroengineering Initiative collaborates heavily within the Texas Medical Center, this conference is an opportunity to meet Principal Investigators from Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital and Research Institute, the University of Texas McGovern School of Medicine, MD Anderson, and other Houston-based neuroengineering affiliates. InterfaceRice 2023 will host 35 presenters who will share their current research and insights across six scientific sessions on topics including signal processing, neural electronics, brain modeling, Neurotech for mental health, and optical microscopy. Additionally, this conference will include a session on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion focused on efforts to improve involvement in Neuroscience and Engineering in STEM, and an evening event we are calling EntrepreNeuro, a TEDx-style event hosted in collaboration with The Ion. Our 2023 keynote speaker will be Dr. Tim Denison, the Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies and MRC Investigator at Oxford University.

April 30-May 1, 2024 — InterfaceRice

Held at the Bioscience Research Collaborative, InterfaceRice 2024 included sessions on: Neurotech Commercialization, Recent innovations in peripheral nerve stimulation, Altruistic Outcomes and Creativity in Venture Capitalism, Unlocking the Brainstem and Spinal Cord, and Neuroscience and Behavior Tracking. The conference was keynoted by Dr. Helen Mayberg, Director of the Nash Family Center for Advanced Circuit Therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Link to Rice News article on the conference.

May 7-8, 2025 — InterfaceNeuro @ Georgia Tech - "Integrating Brain, Body, and Machine for Next-Gen Intelligent Interfaces"

InterfaceNeuro at Georgia Tech brings together experts in neuroscience, neuroengineering, clinical research, industry, and individuals with lived experiences. With a curated program of presentations, panel discussions, research posters, and opportunities for informal conversation, this meeting will foster knowledge exchange, spark new research collaborations, and ensure that development and translation activities are patient-centered and aligned with societal needs. A highlight of the conference was an evening event hosted by The Story Collider entitled Wired Lives: Personal Stories of Brain-Computer Interfaces, where patients with implanted BCIs discussed how it has impacted their lives.