Dr. Hillel J. Chiel received a B.A. in English from Yale University, and a Ph.D. from M.I.T. in Neural and Endocrine Regulation. After postdoctoral research in the Center for Neurobiology and Behavior at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, and in the Molecular Biophysics Research Department at AT&T Bell Laboratories, he joined the faculty of Case Western Reserve University where he is currently a Distinguished Professor of Biology, Neurosciences and Biomedical Engineering. His laboratory studies the neural and biomechanical mechanisms of adaptive behavior in the marine mollusk Aplysia californica, a basis for biologically-inspired robots and clinically-relevant technology. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed publications, has six patents, and his research has been supported by both the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health. He won the university-wide Wittke Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in 2004, the Diekhoff Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching in 2009, and the Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Prize for Inquiry-Based Instruction in 2012. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, London, England.
My areas of investigation include neural networks, electrophysiology, modeling, Aplysia, biomechanics, and feeding behavior.
Publications
Scholarpedia article on Aplysia Feeding Biomechanics
Jenkins, M.W., Duke,A.R., Gu,S., Doughman,Y.,Chiel,H.J., Fujioka,H., Watanabe,M., Jansen,E.D., and Rollins,A.M. (2010) Optical pacing of the embryonic heart. Nature Photonics, 4:623-626, doi:10.1038/nphoton.2010.166.
Azizi,F., Lu,H., Chiel,H.,J., and Mastrangelo,C.H. (2010) Chemical neurostimulation using pulse code modulation (PCM) microfluidic chips. Journal of Neuroscience Methods 192:193-8
Chiel,H.J., Ting,L.H., Ekeberg,O., Hartmann,M.J.Z. (2009). The Brain in its Body: Motor Control and Sensing in a Biomechanical Context. Journal of Neuroscience 29:12807-12814.
Lu,H., Chestek,C.A., Shaw,K.M., and Chiel,H.J.(2008) Selective extracellular stimulation of individual neurons in ganglia. Journal of Neural Engineering. 5:287 – 309.
Neustadter,D.M., Herman,R.L., Drushel,R.F., Chestek,D.W., and Chiel,H.J. (2007) The kinematics of multifunctionality: Comparisons of biting and swallowing in Aplysia californica. Journal of Experimental Biology 210:238 – 260.
Phattanasri,P., Chiel,H.,J., and Beer,R.D. (2007)The dynamics of associative learning in evolved model circuits. Adaptive Behavior. 15(4):337 – 396.
Ye,H., Morton,D.W., and Chiel,H.J. (2006)Neuromechanics of multifunctionality during rejection in Aplysia californica. Journal of Neuroscience 26: 10743 – 10755.
Novakovic,V.A., Sutton,G.P., Neustadter,D.M., Beer,R.D., and Chiel,H.J. (2006) Mechanical reconfiguration mediates swallowing and rejection in Aplysia californica. Journal of Comparative Physiology – A. 192: 857 – 870.
Chestek,C.A., Samsukha,P., Tabib-Azar,M., Harrison,R.R., Chiel,H.J. and Garverick, S.L. (2006) Microcontroller-based wireless recording unit for neurodynamic studies in saltwater, IEEE Sensors Journal. 6: 1105 – 1114.
Ye.H., Morton,D.W., and Chiel,H.J. (2006)Neuromechanics of coordination during swallowing in Aplysia californica. Journal of Neuroscience 26:1470-1485.