CV Science

Habib Benali PhD in Applied Mathematics

Course and current status

University degrees and qualifications 

• 1981: Bachelor’s, Bachelor, Applied mathematics, Rennes I University,
• 1982: Master's Thesis, Data Science, Information processing technics, IRISA, Rennes I University
• 1985: Doctorate (Ph.D.): Computer Science, Multidimensional data analysis, IRISA, Rennes I University,  France.
• 1986: Postdoctoral fellow INRIA, Computer Science, Multidimensional data analysis upon a graph, IRISA, Rennes I University. 
• 1995: Habilitation à Diriger les Recherches (HDR), Medical Image Processing and modeling, Paris XI-Dauphine University. 

Distinctions 

• 1992: Prize Cum Laude of Radiological Society of North America.
• 1994: Prize Cum Laude of Radiological Society of North America.
• 2003: Prize Erbsmann, contribution to Information Processing in Medical Imaging, UK.
• 2009: Prize of the ‘Consulat Général de France à Québec’, Best ‘co-tutelle’ thesis of Université Pierre-Marie-Curie & Université de Montréal
• 2014: Prize of the ‘Société Française de Génie Biologique et Médicale’, Best ‘co-tutelle’ thesis Université Pierre-Marie-Curie & Polytechnique, Montreal.
• 2019: Provost‘s Circle of Distinction (Canadian dollar), Concordia University Distinction.

Employment

• 1986-1987: Assistant Professor, Université de Rennes II, Institut Universitaire de Technologie, Vannes, France
• 1987-1995: Research Engineer, Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Paris, France
• 1995-2002: Research scientist (Associate Professor), INSERM, Laboratoire d’Imagerie Fonctionnelle, Paris, France
• 2002-2015: Research director (Professor), INSERM, Laboratoire d’Imagerie Biomédicale, Paris, France
• Since 2016: Professor Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
• Since 2017: NSERC Canada Research Chair, Tier I in Biomedical Imaging and Healthy Aging, Canada

Fields of expertise

• Mathematical Models and Statistics, Signal and image processing Computational Neuroscience, NeuroImaging, Healthy aging, Neurodegenerative diseases. 
• Editor: Recent Advances in Neuroimaging Methodology, Advances in Computational Intelligence for Multimodal Biomedical Imaging
• Associate Editor: Frontiers in neuroscience, Brain Imaging Methods
• Referee: Entropy, IEEE transaction on medical imaging, Medical Image Analysis, Medical Physics, Physics in Medecine and Biology, Neuroimage, PlosOne, Brain Connectivity, Humain Brain Mapping, PLOS Computational Biology, Frontiers in Neurosciences, Frontiers in Neuroinformatics, Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuroradiology, European Journal of Neuroradiology, Plos Computational Biology
•  Expert for international agencies: Agence National de la Recherche (France), FRQ & CIHR (Canada), Fonds national de la recherche scientifique (Belgium), Wellcome Trust (UK), European Research Council (EU)

Head of research Unit and Institute

• 2008-2015: Co-director, International Joint research unit (LINeM : Neuroimaging and Modeling) INSERM-Université Pierre&Marie-Curie-Université de Montréal, (researchers:23, Staff:4,  PhD-Postdoc:12)
  • 2009-2014: Director, Unité 678 de recherche mixte INSERM-Université Pierre & Marie-Curie (U494, researchers:35, Staff:16,  PhD-Postdoc:25),

 https://www.hal.inserm.fr/UPMC-LIF/

• 2014-2016: Deputy director, Unité 1146 de recherche mixte INSERM-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Pierre&Marie-Curie (U1146, researchers:65, Staff:18, PhD-Postdoc:46),

 https://www.lib.upmc.fr/presentation-du-laboratoire/

• 2014-2016: Associate Director, Unité de Neuroimagerie Fonctionnelle, Centre de Recherche de l’Institut de Gériatrie de Montréal, Université de Montréal, https://unf-montreal.ca/
• 2016-2017: Interim Scientific Director PERFORM Centre, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (researchers:50, 10 research chairs, Staff:28, étudiants:90)
• Since 2018: Scientific Director, PERFORM Centre, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada (researchers:65, 15 research chairs, Staff:26, Grad-Undergrad-Postdoc:135),https://www.concordia.ca/research/perform.html

Member of Advisory Board & committees of experts for the French government

• 2000: Member of the program committee of the Ministry of National Education, Research and Technology (program: Strengthen relationships between the Image and signal processing community and the neuroscience community), France.
• 2009-2010: Member of the INSERM Scientific Advice and Prospective committee (CODIS). Appointed by the President of INSERM, France.
• 2015: Member of the French Delegation for the France-Algeria scientific cooperation. Invited by Mrs Marisol Touraine, French Minister of Health, France.
• Since 2018: Member of the Scientific Advisory Board Cluster Paris Sport, France,https://www.clustergrandparissport.fr/le-conseil-d-orientation-scientifique/18-le-conseil-d-orientation-scientifique/108-habib-benali
• 2022-2024: Member of the international committee of the digital health program (4^th program of investments for the future). This programme is part of a broad national strategy to support the Research, Development, and Economy with a budget of around 3 billion euros. Invited by the French government to join the committee in January 2022, France.

Member of executive committee

• 2009-2014: Chair of the executive committee, Unit 678, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale, France.
• 2013: Member of the executive committee of the QBIN (Quebec Biomedical Imaging Network – FRQS), Quebec, Canada.
• 2014-2015: Member the executive committee of the Institut d’ingénierie universitaire pour la santé (IUIS), Sorbonne université, France. 
• 2014-2016: Chair of the executive committee,  Unit 1146,  ‘Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale’, France.
  • Since 2018: Chair of the Perform executive committee, Concordia University, Quebec, Canada. 
  • Since 2020: Member of the Health Technologies committee, Montreal in Vivo, Montreal, Quebec, Canada https://www.montreal-invivo.com/en/sectors/niches-of-excellence/health-technologies/
  • Since (Mars 2022) : Member of the Baycrest Academy for Research and Education Advisory Committee, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Other Research Experience

• 1998-2002: Chair of the research team (Modélisation multidimensionnelle multimodalité en imagerie morphologiques et fonctionnelle’, INSERM, Unit 494, France.
• 2002-2004: Chair of the research team (Imagerie multimodalité quantitative du cerveau en action), INSERM, Unit 494, France.
• 2008-2016: Chair of the research team (Imagerie paramétrique de l'activation et du métabolisme cérébral), Institut Fédérative de Recherche 49, Inserm, Université Pierre & Marie-Curie, Paris, France.
• 2011-2013: Chair of the department: Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Platform of the IHU-A-ICM Institut, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Université Pierre&Marie-Curie, Paris, France https://institutducerveau-icm.org/fr/presentation-de-ihu/

Professional Memberships

• Since 2002: Regular research scientific member, Centre de Recherche de Mathématiques (CRM), Université de Montréal, Quebec, Canada. http://www.crm.umontreal.ca/labo/physnum/en/members/
• Since 2005: Regular research scientific member, Centre de Recherche de l’Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Université de Montréal, Quebec, Canada. https://criugm.qc.ca/la-recherche/axe-1-neurosciences-du-vieillissement/

Member of national and international per review committees

• 2007-2017: Member of peer review committee-project grant in health and technology (Agence Nationale de la Recherche - ANR), France.
• 2008-2015: Member of peer review committee-research-evaluation, (L’Agence d’évaluation de la recherche et de l’enseignement supérieur- AÉRES), National evaluation of INSERM-CNRS-Universities research units, France.
• 2009: Member of the peer review committee-project grant (Fonds de recherche du Québec – FRQS), Quebec, Canada. 
• 2009: Member of committee Transfer of medical research to industry, INSERM-Transfert department, France.
• Since 2012: Member peer review committee-project grant (Fonds national de la recherche scientifique-FNRS), Belgium. 
• 2011: Member of the peer review committee project grant European Union (Joint Programme on Neurodegenerative Disease Research-JPND), EU.
• 2013: Member the peer review committee-research chairs European Union (European Research Council-ERC), EU.
• 2013-2016: Member of the peer review committee-project grant European Union (Human-Brain-Project), EU.
• 2018: Member of the Biomedical Engineering (BME) peer review committee-project grant-CIHR, Canada. 
• 2018-2020: Member of the scientific steering committee of the Canadian Open Neuroscience Platform, Brain Canada, Canada.
• 2019: Member of the jury, Les prix du Quebec-Prix Marie-Victorin 2019, Categorie: Scientifique, Quebec, Canada.
• 2020: Member of the peer review committee Wellcome Trust, UK.
• 2021: Member of the peer review committee (bourses d’Excellence de l’Institut TransMedTech-FRQ), Quebec, Canada. 

Member of national and international hiring committees

• 2008:  Member of the hiring committee in Bioengineering, University of Wisconsin, USA. 
• 2009-2014: Member of the INSERM hiring committee, ‘concours chercheurs et directeurs de recherche INSERM’, France.
• 2013- 2016 : Member of the INRIA hiring committee, ‘concours chercheurs et directeurs de recherche à l’INRIA’, France.
• 2014 :  Member of the hiring committee in Neuroimaging, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Faculty of medicine of university of Geneva, Swiss. 
• 2019 : Member of the hiring committee in Neuroscience, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, USA.
• Since 2016: Member of the Department Personnel Committee, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Concordia University, Quebec.
• Since 2016: Member of the research committee, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Concordia University, Quebec.

Community and volunteer activities

• 1999-2003 :  Member of Functional Neuroimaging Research Programs committe, Institut Fédératif de Recherche 49, France.
• 2004-2007: Member of the C.H.U. Pitié-Salpêtrière Strategic NMR Research Center Committee, France.
• 2018-2019: Member “Comité multidisciplinaire - Concours interne Chaires de recherche du Canada, Vice-rectorat à la recherche et à la création, Université Laval, Quebec.
• Since 2018: Member of the Scientific Steering Committee Canadian Open Neuroscience Platform (CONP), McGill University, Montreal, Quebec.
• Since 2021: Chair of the Department Strategic Research Directions in Signal Processing and Biomedical Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec.

Leadership and coordination of research WP (work package)

• 2007-2010: EU project FP6-2005-LIFESCIHEALTH-6 GENPARK, A. Price (PI), H. Benali (co-investigator of WP2: Structural, functional and metabolic neuroimaging), (WP2: 474 k€, ‘GENomic Biomarkers for PARKinson’s disease’), EU 
• 2010: Team leader of the clinical program  «High angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI) of the spinal cord in normal humans and patients with spinal trauma», INSERM U678, IRME, CENIR, Fédération des Maladies du Système Nerveux-CHU de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, Centre de Coubert, Service de neurochirurgie-CHU Bicêtre
• 2009-2011: Team leader of the international cognitive program «Sommeil, Conscience et Intégration fonctionnelle», Université Pierre&Marie-Curie, Université de Montréal, Université de Liège.
• 2009-2012: Team leader of the national clinical program «Traumatismes du système nerveux central et nouvelle techniques d’imagerie», INSERM U678, IRME, CENIR, Service de neurochirurgie Hôpital Pitié-Salpetrière, CHU Bicêtre, INSERM U610.
• 2009-2015: Team leader of the national program CATI, Fondation Plan Alzheimer.
• 2009-2015: Team leader of WP4 of IUAP program (European Union) «Brain regions and networks supporting perception and cognition in human and non-human primates». The consortium includes 9 teams from 7 Universities from EU.
• 2013-2015: Team leader of Transatlantic Network of Excellence in Cardiovascular and Neurovascular Research. Fondation Leducq project “Pathogenesis of Small Vessel Disease of the Brain”. The consortium includes five teams from University of Vermont, University of Iowa, Klinikum der Ludwigs-Maximilians Universität, University Paris-Diderot, Université Pierre&Marie-Curie and INSERM.

 

Sabbatical year 2006

• 2006: One year stay at Université de Montreal (Functional Neuroimaging Unit and CRM). Creation of the international laboratory of neuroimaging and modelling (LINeM) (Directors: Habib Benali INSERM-Université Pierre et Marie-Curie, and Dr. Julien Doyon, Université de Montréal).

Funding

• 2006-2015: I have been awarded more than $31M in funding from national (France), European and international agencies as well as a variety of companies.
• I have served as principal investigator of eight awarded grants ($2.1M). Beyond my project specific funding,
• I was co-applicant of three awarded grants from France ‘Investissements d’Avenir’ ($21M). These grants were obtained in highly competitive competitions (14.5% success rate).
• Additionally, I have received five funding awards from France as co-applicant ($2.4M) (22.3% success rate). In addition to national grants, I was awarded, as co-applicant, 3 European Union grants ($2.8M) and eight Canadian grants including CFI, CIHR and MDEIE ($2.8M).
• Since 2016: I was awarded, as principal investigator ($3.3M), and as co-applicant ($3.2M).

As principal applicant: CFI-JELF (2016-2021, $352.000); NSERC grant (2016-2023, $1.4M); Concordia grant (2016-2021, $110.000); Webster Brain Research Fund (2017–2023, $1.1M); NSERC discovery grant (2018-2019, $33.000); MEDTEQ Beachhead program (2018-2019, $100.000);

Fondation pour la recherche sur Alzheimer (France) (2021-2024, $360.000)

As co-applicant: CIHR (2014–2019, $678.036); CIHR (2017-2022, $1.7M); CIHR (2020-2024, $906.526)

Technology transfer

Beyond my scientific work, I have also developed technology transfer of image processing devices.

• 2012 : Dépôt (IDDN.FR.001.110011.000.S.P.2012.000.31230), Université Pierre&Marie-Curie, Plateforme dédiée au traitement d'images IRMf pour l'étude des interactions fonctionnelles au sein des réseaux cérébraux. V. Perlbarg, G. Marrelec, D. Coynel, O. Jolivet, P. Bellec, M. Pélégrini-Isaac, H. Benali.
• 2013: Foundation of «CardioVlab », a compagny dedicated to the development and design of cardiovascular clinical imaging tools in collaboration with la SATT Lutech, Université Pierre&Marie-Curie (CEO: A. Dogui, PhD student of my lab).
• 2013-2016: I helped create a neuroinformatic platform (CATI, France).  CATI is a platform that allows for the storage, analyses and sharing of imaging data for neurodegenerative studies in France and abroad. https://www.lib.upmc.fr/cati-centre-dacquisition-et-de-traitement-dimages-pour-la-maladie-dalzheimer/
• 2015: Foundation of a compagny (CATI) dedicated to the development of neurodegenerative clinical imaging tools in collaboration with la SATT Lutech, Université Pierre&Marie-Curie (CEO: O. Courrège).

Knowledge translation

My position as Scientific Director of Concordia University’s PERFORM Centre has placed me in a unique position with regard to knowledge translation activities:

• I offer a variety of colloquiums, conferences and training opportunities for our students and practitioners throughout the year

 https://www.concordia.ca/research/perform/research/colloquium-series.html). We are also well placed to service a variety of industries.

• I offer highly trained personnel to meet needs of innovative technologies that will support the population in promoting healthy lifestyles for improved quality of life.

 https://www.concordia.ca/research/perform/research/pcrc.html

 

              I am collaborating with:

• MEDTEQ (Beachhead program www.medteq.ca). MEDTEQ is the Industrial Consortium for Research and Innovation in Medical Technologies in Quebec; our business model would propose new approaches for research and promotion of preventive health measures on aging.
• Athletic translational program

 https://ca.linkedin.com/in/jpgagnoninnovitech. In this context we share knowledge to connect and position the PERFORM Centre as an important player in innovation chains and the ecosystem of human performance.

Research networking activities

I furthered our outreach activities to inform the larger community about the emerging 9 platforms at Perform Centre. These networking endeavors strive to connect broad and diverse audiences, and to highlight the intersections and opportunities for collaborative growth within engineering and preventive health. Research collaborative projects are proposed and some are jointly supported by PERFORM Centre and the partners.

• 2019: The Faculty of Fine Arts (Concordia University) retreat. This special retreat was designed specifically to initiate new, multidisciplinary, research and/or research creation collaborations and projects in preventive health. Since 6 projects have been granted.
• 2020-2021: Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology - CSBN (Concordia University) retreat. This special retreat was designed specifically to initiate new, interdisciplinary (behavioral neurobiology and neuroimaging), research collaborations for projects undertaken by CSBN and PERFORM members. Since 2 projects have been granted.
• 2020:2022: McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (McGil University) Retreat. The objectives of this special retreat are to initiate new, interdisciplinary (neurosciences and neuroinformatics), research collaborations for projects undertaken by BIC and PERFORM members. Since 5 projects have been granted.
• 2021: The Faculty of Arts and Science (Concordia University) retreat. Create new links in your research programs, to ensure a truly holistic approach with new cross-border research models. Since 2 projects have been granted.
• 2021: The Centre for Research on Aging – engage (Concordia University). Work with older people and their communities in order to address challenges and facilitate opportunities in social, physical, cognitive, emotional, and political. Since 2 projects have been granted.
•  2021: The Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science (Concordia University) retreat. Building new directions for translational research. Since 2 projects have been granted.

Patents

• 2000 : EU Patent 9305992. Procédé de décomposition d'images scintigraphiques en composantes d'absorption totale et diffusée. I. Buvat, H. Benali, J.P. Bazin et R. Di Paola
• 2007: EU Patent BEP060518. Method for analyzing an image of the brain of a subject, computer program product for analyzing such image and apparatus for implementing the method. Inventors: B. Magnin, S. Kinkinghéhun, S. Lehericy, B. Dubois, H. Benali.
• 2012 : EU Patent « Système d'imagerie fonctionnelle proche infrarouge de la moelle épinière chez le chat » Universite Pierre & Marie-Curie – Université de Montréal. Inventors: A. Goguin, F. Lesage, S. Rossignol, H. Benali.
• 2012: PAT 2. N° 09 05481, UPMC, France, Device for measuring the activity of the spinal cord of a vertebra A. Goguin, F. Lesage, S. Rossignol, H. Benali.
• 2013: US Patent App. 14/119,22 “Method for identifying neuroprotective compounds and/or neurogeneration stimulators by fractional anisotropy measurements by diffusion-based MRI scanning” V. Perlbarg, L. Puybasset, D. Galanaud, S. Lehericy, H. Benali.
• 2013: EU Patent WO2014060695 A3, Method of quantification of brain lesions. V. Perlbarg, L. Puybasset, D. Galanaud, S. Lehericy, H. Benali.

Training 

• I supervised 32 Doctorates PhD Thesis; 15 Post-doc (7 since 2007); 34 master and engineers.
• I have consistently contributed to the training of emerging generations of researchers in the field of image analysis and applied mathematics neuroimaging. Many of my students have excelled in their scientific careers and have obtained academic and senior research positions themselves. Among them:
• Dr. G. El Fakhri (Director of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) PET Core, Director of the Center for Advanced Medical Imaging Sciences and Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA);
• Dr. G. Marrelec (Senior Researcher, INSERM, Paris France);
• Dr. J. Mattout (Senior Researcher, INSERM and Director of the MEG Core at Institute of neurosciences, Lyon, France);
• Dr. J. Daunizeau (Senior Researcher and a Group leader at L'Institut du cerveau et de la moelle épinière (ICM), Paris, France);
• Dr. C. Amblard (Professor of Applied Mathematics, Université de Grenoble1);
• Dr. S. Jbabdi (Research Fellow, Oxford Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), University of Oxford, UK)
• Dr. J. Cohen-Adad (Professor at Polytechnique Montréal, Canada).
• Dr. P. Bellec (Professor, Université de Montréal) and Director of Unité de Neuroimagerie Fonctionnelle, CRIUGM, Montréal, Canada).
• Dr. M. Dehaes (Professor, Université de Montréal)
• Dr. M. Desjardins (Professor, Université Laval, Quebec, Canada)
• Other have gone on to establish successful careers in the biomedical industry:
• H. Guillemet is the founder of APTERIX (http://www.apteryx.fr/)
• R. Cuingnet is a research scientist at Veolia Research & Innovation in the Digital Innovation (https://www.veolia.com/en)
• V. Perlbarg is the Co-founder & CEO of BrainTale (https://fr.linkedin.com/in/vincent-perlbarg-a869726a)

 

Several of my PhD students were nominated for institutional prizes for best thesis. Among them, J. Cohen-Adad won the ‘co-tutelle’ prize for his thesis as well as the prize of Consulat Général de France à Québec; and M. Desjardins won several prizes, including a prize from la Société Française de Génie Biologique et Médicale, Paris and a prize from L’OREAL-UNESCO for women in science. Aurélie Ganier won the prize of la Société Française de Génie Biologique et Médicale, Paris.

Teaching activities

The new training transdisciplinary program APIMED I offered at Université Pierre & Mari-Curie (Paris, France) aims to bring together the disciplines of engineering and health. It links the "Image, computer vision, computer graphics" (IMA) course of the Computer science Master program (Faculty of Engineering) to the "Health" master's program (Faculty of Medicine). We bring together medical disciplines and engineering sciences to give students competences in image processing and health.

https://www.lib.upmc.fr/master-m2-upmc-modules-mapimed-et-nbn-08/

 

• 1999-2012: Formations permanentes en NeuroImagerie, Functional and Anatomical connectivity, IFR Neuroimagerie, Université Paris Sud, Orsay, France.
• 1998-2015: Diplôme Universitaire de Neuroanatomie (PostGraduate), Course topic : Human Brain mapping), Université René Descartes Paris V, France.
• 2007-2015 : Graduate Course Title: Neuroimaging, Course topic : Multimodal imaging, Ecole Doctorale ED3C, Université Pierre&Marie-Curie, Paris, France.
• 2007-2015 : Graduate Course Title: Neuroimaging, APIMED, Course topic : Multimodal Image Analysis, Ecole Doctorale EDITE, Université Pierre&Marie-Curie, Paris, France.
• 2011-2015 : Graduate Course Title:  fMRI, physics, neuronal bases and data analysis, Master Sciences Cognitives, Université Pierre&Marie-Curie, Paris, France

 

Based on my experience at Université Pierre&Marie-Curie, I developed a new training transdisciplinary program 'Biological Signal Processing' at the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at Concordia University. This multidisciplinary training is offered to students from different backgrounds (including Biology, Physics and Heath Science)

• Since 2018: Graduate Course Title: Biological Signal Processing, ELEC6671, Course Topic: include signal processing, medical image processing and brain physiology.

Team achievements

• In 2000, we create an MRI neuroimaging platform “CENIR”. Today, the CENIR brings together the MRI neuroimaging platforms of the Brain and Spinal Cord Institute (ICM), MEG / EEG, neurophysiology / TMS (PANAM), PET-MRI and stereotaxis and imaging (STIM). The CENIR of which I was a co-PI is one of the most important imaging research centers for human in France. http://reservation.cenir.org
• In 2001, the CFI project of which I was a co-PI, entitled "Regroupement Neuroimagerie / Québec (RNQ) - Modeling, fusion and application of functional neuroimaging to neuroscience in elderly adults, children as well as animals" resulted in the creation of a technological platform UNF which is today cutting-edge for brain imaging research center in Quebec. https://unf-montreal.ca/history/research-1/
• In July 2010, within the framework of the "Investissements d’avenir " (French ministry with budget of 850 million euros), the IHU-A-ICM “Institut des Neurosciences Translationnelles de Paris” project of which I was a co-PI (55M euros) was awarded (https://institutducerveau-icm.org/fr/missions-ihu/). This IHU-A-ICM is one of the largest cognitive, clinical neuroscience and technology research center in France.

Other achievements

Foster the development of research niches through the recruitment of high-level faculty positions.

At Unité 1146 de recherche mixte INSERM-CNRS-Université Pierre&Marie-Curie

• Dr. Kachenoura Nadjia (Research director, INSERM, Biomarqueurs d’imagerie cardiaque et vasculaire)
• Dr. Dietenbeck Thomas (Assistant Professor, Université Pierre&Marie-Curie, Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging measures of three-dimensional aortic morphology in healthy aging)
• Dr. G. Marrelec (Senior research scientist, INSERM, Brain imaging and Information theory)
• Dr. J. Daunizeau (Senior research scientist, INSERM-ICM, Brain hierarchy of time-scales and Bayesian model selection)

At Concordia University – Perform Centre

• Dr. J. Cai (Concordia research chair, Professor, PERFORM Centre, Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANS) and eHealth)
• Dr. P Lago (NSERC research chair, Professor, PERFORM Centre, Pervasive computing and artificial intelligence for personalized healthcare) at CRIUGM, Université de Montréal
• Dr. J. Cohen-Adad (Professor at Polytechnique Montréal)
• Dr. P. Bellec (Professor at Université de Montréal)

Conference organization and workshops

• International conference on ‘cerebral plasticity and mathematical modelling’, Université de Montréal, Co-chair, 2001 and 2003.
• International conference on ‘Cerebral imaging and mathematics: applications to cognitive and clinical neurosciences’, Université de Montréal, Co-chair, 2005.
• Workshop on ‘Spinal cord imaging’, CRM-Université de Montréal, Co-chair, 2006.
• Workshop on ‘Functional optical imaging and devices’, CRM-Université de Montréal, Co-chair, 2006.
• International conference on ‘Brain&ICT’, George Washington University, Co-chair, Washington DC, USA, 2007.
• Workshop on ‘Neuroimaging’, ARC-INRIA-INSERM, Co-chair, France, 2007.
• International conference ISBI, member of the scientific board, Paris 2008.
• Workshop ‘Multiscale modelling of the brain’, CRM-Université de Montréal, Co-chair, 2009.
• Workshop ‘Inverse problem and fusion of multimodal brain imaging’, CRM-Université de Montréal, member of the scientific board, Montreal, QC, 2009.
• Workshop ‘Biosenseurs et Imagerie Dynamique’. Symposium with the participation of Dr. Roger Y. TSIEN (Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2008), co-chair, 2010.
• Workshop on 'genetic and imaging', Co-chair, ICM, Paris, France, 2011
• International conference Neuromed 'Multimodale functional imaging', co-Chair, Université de Fès, Fès, Marocco, 2011.
• International conference Neuromed Multimodal functional imaging and models', Chair, Université de Blida, Blida, Algeria, 2011.
• Workshop BIOMEIC 2012 «Biomedical Engineering International Conference», Chair, Université de Tlemcen, Tlemcen, Algeria, 2012.
• Workshop SinFra’2012 2nd Singaporean-French IPAL Symposium, Co-chair, Université Pierre&Marie-Curie, Paris, France, 2012.
• Workshop: 30th August 2012 IHU-A-ICM, The systematic and automated analysis of the large functional brain databases of papers, Co-Chair, Institut du cerveau et de la moelle épinière (ICM), Paris, France, 2012
• International conference Neuromed ‘Multimodal brain imaging’, co-Chair, Université USTBH, Alger, Algeria, january 2013.
• Workshop 'Cognitive and clinical neuroimaging’, Chair, Université Blida, Algeria, june 2013.
• Workshop Brainhack, Université Pierre&Marie-Curie, Paris, France, August 2013.
• GDRI Neurosciences conference, Université de Fès, Ifrane, Marocco, december 2013.
• Workshop on ‘Advanced Processing Techniques and Information Fusion: Methods & Applications’, March 2015, member of the scientific board, Tunis, Tunisia.
• Workshop Bioimaging for prevention & health research, PERFORM Centre, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, May 19, 2016
• Workshop Longitudinal Analysis with Neuroimaging Data, PERFORM Centre, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, May 20, 2016
• Symposium to the 6th Conference of the Mediterranean Neuroscience Society, Functional Connectivity Studies on Motor and Language Learning, With Healthy and Brain Damaged Adults, June 2017
• 24TH Annual meeting of the organization for human brain mapping Symposia: A spotlight on network hubs: cutting-edge analyses and clinical applications, Co-Chair, Singapore, 2018
• Mini Symposium on Sleep, Brain Plasticity, and Cognition, Concordia's Loyola campus, Concordia University, Montreal, Co-Chair, September 27, 2019
• 7^th Annual Perform Centre Research Conference, Lifestyle across the lifespan, Concordia's Loyola campus, Concordia University, Montreal, Chair, May 10-13, 2021
• 6th International Conference on Advanced Technologies for Signal and Image Processing ATSIP'2022 (http://www.lab-atms.com/atsip_2022.php), Moncton, Canada, May, 2022
• Workshop Neuroimaging in Montreal, McGill University, Montreal, Co-Chair, December 5, 2022.

Broadcast Interviews

2020/05/08 L'activité physique prévient les maladies - Le croyez-vous ? Savoir Media, http://savoir.media

Scientific summary

The objective of my research program in Biomedical Imaging and Healthy Aging is to better understand brain activity in healthy aging and to shed light on factors predicting conversion to neurodegenerative disease. Indeed, understanding neuronal activity, brain metabolism and patho-physiological process will enable the development of innovative mathematical models by combining biological and biomedical images from the basic modelling of the brain's anatomo-functional circuits to models of tau protein accumulation. In such “virtual brain activity and pathology” environment, the outcome of brain disease development for individual subjects can be foreseen by simulations. Numerical simulation tools would allow prediction of the progress of the disease as well as an understanding of its causes, which remain uncertain. This numerical approach is a new paradigm of the study of the patho-physiological process in healthy aging of subjects at-risk for neurodegenerative disease. This approach, referred to as “predictive physiopathology”, offer better health through prevention