September 1, 2026
LRDC Senior Scientist Julie Fiez was appointed Distinguished Professor of Psychology by the University of Pittsburgh, effective September 1, 2026. This high honor recognizes high-impact research and academic eminence that Dr. Fiez has demonstrated through her research on the neural mechanisms that underlie human behavior.
Dr. Fiez is a Professor in Psychology, Neuroscience, and Communication Science & Disorders, and the Co-Director of the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition and the BRIDGE Imaging Center. She obtained her Ph.D. in Neuroscience in 1992 at Washington University and became an Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh in 1997. In her lab, the Mind and Brain Lab, she works to discover how the brain gives rise to the mind, researching the neural basis of speech, language, reading, working memory, and learning.
Dr. Fiez's work has been consistently recognized at the highest levels: She was ranked in the World's Top 2% Scientists in 2024 and 2025, and her research has been published in leading journals including Nature Neuroscience, Neuron, and the Annual Review of Neuroscience. Her work was also featured in the University of Pittsburgh's 2023-24 Office on Research Report.
Written by Amanda Buchman