Dr. Franco Pestilli

Biography

Franco Pestilli is a Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, where he specializes in the intersection of psychology and data science. He obtained his Ph.D. from New York University and has completed postdoctoral training at Columbia University and Stanford University. His research traverses multiple disciplines, including Computer Science, Software Engineering, and Neuroscience, with a focus on data governance and neuroscience research through platforms like Brainlife.io. Pestilli has held various leadership roles, including co-Director of the Data Management Informatics Core for the NIH's BRAIN CONNECTS initiative, emphasizing the importance of standardizing brain connectivity data. Additionally, he has contributed to the development of tools such as ezBIDS for neuroimaging data standardization, significantly impacting major academic institutions across the U.S. Pestilli is actively engaged in teaching Data Science and Cognitive Neuroscience at UT Austin and has lectured internationally in countries such as Japan, Italy, and the United Kingdom. His honors include Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and the Psychonomics Society, alongside accolades like the Microsoft Investigator Fellowship and the APS Janet Taylor Spence Award for Transformative Early Career Contributions.

Research Interests

Experience