Projects per year
Personal profile
Personal profile
Valentin Dragoi received his bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the Technical University of Iasi (Romania) in 1989, and his Ph.D. from Duke University in 1997. His thesis was focused on learning and adaptive behavior and on computational neuroscience. As a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and the Picower Center for Learning and Memory at MIT, Valentin investigated the neural circuits of cortical adaptation in behaving animals. From 2003-2023, he was the Levit Distinguished Professorship in Neuroscience at the UTHealth McGovern Medical School. In 2023 Dr. Dragoi accepted a dual position with Houston Methodist and Rice University. He is currently Professor of Neuroscience in Neurosurgery at Houston Methodist Academic Institute and a core member of Rice University's Neuroengineering Initiative.
Research interests
Dr. Dragoi examines how networks of cortical neurons encode information and how the population code influences behavioral decisions in real time. Research in his laboratory combines electrophysiological (multi-electrode recording in restrained and freely moving animals, optical and electrical stimulation), behavioral, and computational methods. He received rigorous training in experimental and theoretical neuroscience. His goals are to understand the neuronal computations and coding principles of cortical circuits and develop new technologies for high-yield neuronal recording of brain activity.
External positions
Professor of Neuroscience, Weill Cornell Medicine
Feb 1 2024 → …
Research Area Keywords
- Neurosciences
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Cortical encoding of unconscious visual information and its impact on behavior
Dragoi, V. (PI)
6/1/24 → 6/30/25
Project: Federal Funding Agencies
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Neural coding of natural stimuli in freely moving macaque
Dragoi, V. (PI)
2/15/24 → 6/30/25
Project: Federal Funding Agencies
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The Impact of Sleep on Network Coding and Perceptual Performance
Dragoi, V. (PI)
12/1/23 → 12/31/25
Project: Federal Funding Agencies
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Optogenetic manipulation of cortical feedback to examine network function and behavior
Dragoi, V. (PI)
2/19/24 → 3/31/25
Project: Federal Funding Agencies
Research output
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Optogenetic modulation of long-range cortical circuits in awake nonhuman primates
Andrei, A. R. & Dragoi, V., 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: Nature Protocols. 39955.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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NREM sleep improves behavioral performance by desynchronizing cortical circuits
Kharas, N., Chelaru, M. I., Eagleman, S., Parajuli, A. & Dragoi, V., Nov 22 2024, In: Science (New York, N.Y.). 386, 6724, p. 892-897 6 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
3 Scopus citations -
Population coding of strategic variables during foraging in freely moving macaques
Shahidi, N., Franch, M., Parajuli, A., Schrater, P., Wright, A., Pitkow, X. & Dragoi, V., Apr 2024, In: Nature Neuroscience. 27, 4, p. 772-781 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2 Scopus citations -
Publisher Correction: Visuo-frontal interactions during social learning in freely moving macaques (Nature, (2024), 627, 8002, (174-181), 10.1038/s41586-024-07084-x)
Franch, M., Yellapantula, S., Parajuli, A., Kharas, N., Wright, A., Aazhang, B. & Dragoi, V., Apr 18 2024, In: Nature. 627, 8008, p. E3Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate › peer-review
Open Access -
Visuo-frontal interactions during social learning in freely moving macaques
Franch, M., Yellapantula, S., Parajuli, A., Kharas, N., Wright, A., Aazhang, B. & Dragoi, V., Mar 7 2024, In: Nature. 627, 8002, p. 174-181 8 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access3 Scopus citations
Prizes
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American Psychological Association Award for Outstanding Paper
Dragoi, V. (Recipient), 1999
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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American Psychological Association Dissertation Research Award
Dragoi, V. (Recipient), 1997
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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ARVO Retina Research Foundation Fellowship
Dragoi, V. (Recipient), 1997
Prize: Fellowship awarded competitively
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