Wake Forest University has named Kenneth T. Kishida, Ph.D., as the inaugural Boswell Presidential Chair of Neuroscience and Society, advancing the University’s interdisciplinary initiative to connect brain science with pressing societal issues.

Kishida, internationally recognized for his work on the neurocomputational mechanisms underlying learning, decision-making and conscious experience, is an associate professor of translational neuroscience at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. His appointment supports the University’s Neuroscience and Society initiative, aimed at expanding and enhancing the University’s vibrant community of teacher-scholars dedicated to advancing neuroscience for the benefit of individuals and society. 

“Neuroscience has made incredible progress over the past century. We understand so much more now about how the brain and behavior interact, but how that knowledge connects to society is still a wide-open question.”

Kenneth Kishida

“There’s a real curiosity, both in academic circles and in the broader public, about what neuroscience can tell us about how we live, work, and relate to one another,” Kishida said. “What excites me most about the Neuroscience and Society initiative is that it embraces that curiosity. It’s not just about delivering answers, it’s about collaborating with communities to ask better questions and explore together what this science means for our shared future.”

Kishida will hold appointments in the Department of Biology in Wake Forest College and in the Departments of Translational Neuroscience and Neurosurgery in the School of Medicine, positioning him to foster deeper collaboration across campuses and academic disciplines. His appointment and research programs will seamlessly span the Reynolda and Health System campuses.

“The Boswell Chair is central to realizing our vision for Neuroscience and Society at Wake Forest,” said Provost Michele Gillespie. “Dr. Kishida is an exceptional academic. He brings a unique combination of scientific innovation, collaborative leadership, and deep curiosity about what it means to be human. His appointment in the Department of Biology strengthens our cross-campus capacity to engage in path-breaking research and teaching.”

“Dr. Kishida stood out as a rare scholar who brings both scientific rigor and philosophical depth to the study of the brain,” said Kimberley McAllister, Vice Provost for Research, Scholarly Inquiry and Creative Activity, and co-chair of the Boswell Chair search committee. “He is uniquely positioned to bridge the biomedical and liberal arts communities at Wake Forest and to help define what it means to lead in neuroscience with societal impact.”

The Boswell Chair was established by Donna A. Boswell (’72, MA ’74), a University trustee, former board chair, and alumna, to support a distinguished scholar with a demonstrated commitment to catalyzing cross-disciplinary teaching and research at the intersection of neuroscience and society. Boswell, a strong advocate for the liberal arts and interdisciplinary research, created the endowed position to encourage bold scholarship that connects scientific insight with real-world challenges.

In addition to developing new courses and mentoring students, Kishida will help lead efforts to build interdisciplinary partnerships and community-engaged research programs aligned with Wake Forest’s Pro Humanitate mission.

A first-generation college student from Sacramento, California, Kishida didn’t set out to become a neuroscientist. Beginning his academic journey at UC Davis, he simply hoped to earn a degree and find a stable job. But a unique opportunity to work in a genetics lab throughout his undergraduate years and a growing fascination with molecular biology and the philosophy of consciousness changed the trajectory of his life and led him to pursue neuroscience. He later earned his Ph.D. from Baylor College of Medicine and held postdoctoral fellowships in computational neuroscience before joining the faculty at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in 2016.

His research integrates computational modeling, neuroimaging, and real-time intracranial neurochemical measurements to explore how the brain gives rise to conscious experience and decision-making. His contributions span neuroscience, psychiatry, neurosurgery, biomedical engineering, ethics, and behavioral science. Kishida has published more than 30 peer-reviewed journal articles in leading journals such as Neuron, Nature Human Behaviour, PLoS Biology, and Science Advances as well as three peer-reviewed book chapters, and has numerous articles, invited presentations, and symposia contributions. His prolific scholarship has been cited in scientific books, mainstream media, and legal settings. 

Kishida is renowned for developing a first-of-its-kind method to measure brain chemicals like dopamine and serotonin in real time in humans, an unprecedented achievement in neuroscience. Using a tiny sensor inserted during awake brain surgery, his team can track these neurochemical signals up to 10 times per second as patients perform decision-making tasks. This breakthrough offers new insight into how brain chemistry shapes behavior, mood, and mental health. 

Kishida’s hands-on research as an undergraduate is one reason he is excited about taking on his new role. 

“When I’ve mentored Wake Forest undergraduates in my lab, I’ve been inspired by their curiosity and drive,” he said. “This new role gives me the chance to be part of the teacher-scholar model that originally drew me to science and to shape learning experiences that cross disciplinary boundaries in powerful ways.”

The hiring of Kishida marks a pivotal first step toward realizing the bold, strategic vision outlined in “Framing Our Future’s” plan for the Neuroscience and Society initiative. What sets this initiative apart is its emphasis on the “and Society”—a commitment not only to understanding how the brain works, but to exploring why that understanding matters. 

Recognizing that the brain sits at the center of humanity’s greatest challenges—from mental health and aging to addiction, artificial intelligence, and social fragmentation—this initiative will integrate neuroscience with the liberal arts, law, ethics, theology, business, medicine, the arts, and community partnership in pioneering ways. It builds upon the University’s Pro Humanitate ethos to create a new kind of interdisciplinary collaboration that is ethically grounded, community-engaged, and innovation-driven.

One of Kishida’s early goals as Boswell Chair will be to help establish a Center for Neuroscience and Society, designed to integrate efforts across the University through interdisciplinary symposia and workshops, pilot grant programs, and new community partnerships.

Asked what success will look like five years from now, Kishida points to a thriving, interdisciplinary academic community: “We’ll have a Center for Neuroscience and Society with an engaged faculty, student body, and community,” he said. “It won’t just be traditional neuroscience—it’ll be neuroscience embedded in conversations with the College, the divinity school, the law school, the business school, the medical school, Wake the Arts, philosophy, ethics, and more. That kind of cross-disciplinary interaction is where the most exciting new ideas come from.”

He also hopes to see new research projects supported through external funding, but views that as “a positive side effect” of a vibrant, collaborative environment. “Success will also look like Wake Forest graduates leaving here with a neuroscience foundation and going into fields that shape society, whether that’s top medical schools, law schools, graduate programs, or business. If we do this right, they’ll carry that neuroscience perspective into whatever impact they make next.”

Kishida’s appointment and research programs underscore the University’s commitment to promoting cross-school collaboration to facilitate research that is not only groundbreaking but relevant to the complex societal issues of today and tomorrow. Through the Boswell Chair and the Neuroscience and Society initiative, Wake Forest is laying the groundwork for a new kind of interdisciplinary scholarship—one that asks not only how we understand the brain, but how that understanding can help us navigate societal challenges from emerging technologies to climate change and promote cognitive health and wellbeing.