Hi, my name is Alexander Atalay, 

and I'm a neuroscience PhD student at Stanford University. I am driven to advance technology that improves care for patients with neurological disorders while illuminating the biological mechanisms behind human consciousness.

    I am a hobbyist videographer, astrophotographer, and graphic designer, as well as an endurance athlete. I love spending time at the intersections of my interests, and hope you enjoy exploring this website, which I built from scratch using MRI data from my brain, Blender, and vanilla JavaScript.

    I do research on the human brain

and believe it to be the most fascinating object in the known universe. I fell in love with neuroscience early in my undergraduate career at the University of Virginia, where I conducted research in the Functional Neuroradiology Lab.

    After graduating, I worked as a data analyst in the Lab for Neuroimaging of Coma and Consciousness (NICC) in the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery. There, I worked with world experts on traumatic brain injury and neuroimaging technologies to advance understanding about the physiology of consciousness and improve care for patients with disorders of consciousness.

    I am currently a PhD student at Stanford University, where I use multimodal neuroimaging, non-invasive brain stimulation, and machine learning to investigate the human brain in neurological and psychiatric disorders.

    I find flow through rowing

and have been passionate about the sport since I first picked up an oar. I learned to row at St. Andrew's school in Delaware, continued to row at UVA, and was most recently a member of Riverside boat club during my time in Boston.

    Many of my most impactful experiences have been in a shell on the water where I often find peace and purpose. While a majority of my cherished rowing memories have occurred during ordinary practices, some highlights of my career include racing internationally in Switzerland and at Henley Royal Regatta in England, as well as winning the Club Division of the men’s 8+ at the Head of the Charles Regatta.

    I create aesthetic digital content

–or at least enjoy the process of trying–primarily through photography, videography, and graphic design. My passion for visual media began when I was 10 years old and got my first camera (a purple iPod Nano) and it has developed steadily into a hobby and side job.

    One of my first goals when I bought a proper entry-level camera was to capture the beauty of the night sky. As an avid stargazer, astrophotography fascinated me, and with just a tripod, a remote, and some trial and error, I managed to photograph the majesty of a clear night and dark sky. My star photos have even been featured in a TED talk! More recently, I’ve been exploring 3D design and animation in Blender, and have used the open-source software to create award-winning data visualizations and scientific tools.

    I love collaboration, and am always happy to talk about my science. If you're interested in learning more about what I'm doing or want to work together on a project, please feel free to reach out!