Durand, Dominique M, PhD
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Investigator
Cleveland FES Center
EL Lindseth Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Case Western Reserve University
Distinguished University Professor, Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Neuroscience, Biophysics and Physiology
Case Western Reserve University
Director, Neural Engineering Center
Case Western Reserve University
CONTACT INFORMATION
Program Contact:
Dominique Durand
Contact Number:
(216) 368-3974
Contact Email:
dxd6@case.edu
Dr. Dominique M. Durand is a Distinguished University Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University, where he has been a faculty member since 1983, and holds joint appointments in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Biophysics and Physiology, and Neuroscience.
Dr. Durand’s research interests are in neural engineering and include computational neuroscience, neurophysiology and control of epilepsy, non-linear dynamics of neural systems, neural prostheses and applied magnetic and electrical field interactions with neural tissue.
He is recognized internationally as a pioneer in neural engineering, bioelectric phenomena, and the biophysics of epilepsy, and is the founder and founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Neural Engineering (2004–2018). He holds fellowships in IEEE (Life Fellow), the American Institute for Medical and Biomedical Engineering, the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering, and the Institute of Physics.
His laboratory has made landmark contributions across five major research areas: epilepsy and seizure suppression via extracellular field control, peripheral neural interfacing, bioelectric phenomena and computational neuroscience, hippocampal neurophysiology and ephaptic coupling, and obstructive sleep apnea. He has received the 2024 Innovator Award from the North American Neuromodulation Society and the 1985 Presidential Young Investigator Award from the National Science Foundation.
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
- Epilepsy and seizure suppression via extracellular electric field control
- Peripheral nerve interfacing — selective recording and stimulation of individual fascicles
- Bioelectric phenomena, computational neuroscience, and magnetic stimulation modeling
- Hippocampal neurophysiology and ephaptic (non-synaptic) propagation
- Obstructive sleep apnea — hypoglossal nerve stimulation and non-invasive oral appliance development
MAJOR PROJECTS & FUNDING
- Passive conductive film (PCF) for seizure suppression — translational device development of an MRI-compatible surgical adjunct for drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy, extending prior mechanistic discoveries in extracellular field cancellation
- First-in-human trial of low-frequency white matter stimulation — dorsal hippocampal commissure/fornix stimulation producing ~90% seizure reduction in bilateral temporal lobe epilepsy patients
- Flat Interface Nerve Electrode (FINE) — pioneered reshaping nerve-cuff technology; clinical version received FDA approval for human trials restoring somatosensory percepts in amputees
- Carbon-nanotube yarn intrafascicular electrodes — chronic recording stability over months enabling targeted neuromodulation of fine sensory and autonomic fibers previously inaccessible
- Tumor–computer neural interface — discovery that nerves within solid tumors are electrically active; ongoing translational development to distinguish tumors with high or low metastatic potential
HONORS & RECOGNITION
- Innovator Award, North American Neuromodulation Society, 2024
- Distinguished University Professor, Case Western Reserve University, 2019
- Distinguished Research Award, Case Western Reserve University, 2015
- EL Lindseth Endowed Chair in Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, 2006
- Presidential Young Investigator Award, National Science Foundation, 1985