Neville will speak Friday, Oct. 26, at noon in room 1005 of the Beckman Institute. Her topic is "Experience shapes human brain development and function." The lecture series is sponsored by the SmithGroup, the architectural firm that designed the Beckman Institute.

Neville, who is also Director of the Brain Development Lab at Oregon, has a Ph.D. from Cornell and has served as Director of the Laboratory for Neuropsychology at the Salk Institute and Professor of Cognitive Science at the University of California, San Diego. Her research interests involve the biological constraints and the role of experience in neurosensory and neurocognitive development in humans.

Nevilles research work looks at the development and plasticity of the human brain using behavioral measures, event-related brain potentials (ERPs), and structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The results have shown have that "different brain systems and related functions display markedly different degrees or 'profiles' of neuroplasticity."

Neville has recently started a project studying effects of different types of training on brain development and cognition in typically developing children of different ages. Neville believes these studies will "contribute to a basic understanding of the nature of human brain plasticity."

Neville has had her work published in journals such as Nature and the Journal of Neuroscience, and has received many honors, including election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and membership on the Board of Governors of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society.