Michele A. Basso is an accomplished neuroscientist and professor with nearly two decades of experience studying the processes related to cognition and how they go bad in diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and dystonia. Currently a faculty member at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Michele Basso is a Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences with the University’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. Simultaneously serving as Director of the Fuster Laboratory in Cognitive Neuroscience, Michele A. Basso, Ph.D., focuses her research around brain mechanics and synaptic responses to external stimuli. Performing clinical experiments in collaboration with neurologists, neurosurgeons, and neuropsychologists, her work is intended to facilitate understanding between cellular and systems neuroscience to assist in the diagnostics and treatment of cognitive disorders in the future.Prior to engaging in research with UCLA, Michele Basso served with the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health. With the institution, Basso maintained the position of Associate Professor within the Departments of Physiology, Ophthalmology, and the Visual Sciences. As an Affiliate Scientist with the University’s Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, she developed an extensive background in the cognitive responses associated with decision-making, and the mental implications incidental to Parkinson’s disease.Earning both her Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in Behavioral Neuroscience from Stony Brook University in New York, Michele A. Basso graduated cum laude from Fairfield University with a Bachelor of Psychology in 1989. Distinguished for her endeavors in research and academia, Michele Basso, Ph.D., received a number of industry accolades, including the Esther A. and Joseph Klingenstein Fund Fellowship Award in the Neurosciences, the Howard Hughes Faculty Development Award, and the Fellows Award for Research Excellence from the National Institutes of Health.