Cambridge NeuroWorks and PolyU PAIR Joint Seminar: Prof. Edward CHANG of University of California San Francisco, United States, delivers “The Neural Code of Speech”
Cambridge NeuroWorks and PolyU PAIR Joint Seminar
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Date
27 May 2026
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Organiser
PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
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Time
21:00 - 22:30
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Venue
Online via Zoom
Speaker
Prof. Edward CHANG
Enquiry
PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research info.pair@polyu.edu.hk
Summary
Abstract
Speaking is a defining behavior of our species. I will discuss new discoveries on the functional organization and dynamics of neural populations in the ventral sensorimotor cortex that underlie speech articulation. We have recently mapped out the cortical representations of the human larynx, which appear to revise the classic somatotopic-organised homunculus map. Related studies demonstrate how motor neural populations encode the coordinated movements of the entire vocal tract during fluent speech. Finally, I will discuss how these neurobiological findings are being translated into powerful algorithms for speech decoding in the context of a communication neuroprosthesis.
Prof. Edward CHANG
Member of the National Academy of Sciences, USA
Member of the National Academy of Medicine, USA
Joan and Sanford Weill Chair of Neurological Surgery
Margaret Liu Collins and Edward B. Collins Distinguished Professor in Neurological Surgery
Co-Director, Centre for Neural Engineering and Prostheses
University of California San Francisco
Edward F. Chang is the Joan and Sanford Weill Chair of Neurological Surgery and Margaret Liu Collins and Edward B. Collins Distinguished Professor in Neurological Surgery at the University of California San Francisco.
Dr. Chang’s clinical expertise is surgical therapies for epilepsy, pain, and brain tumors. He specializes in advanced neurophysiologic brain mapping methods, including awake speech and motor mapping, to safely perform neurosurgical procedures in eloquent areas of the brain.
His research focuses on the discovery of cortical mechanisms of high-order neurological function in humans. Dr. Chang’s laboratory has demonstrated the detailed functional organization of the human speech cortex and has translated those discoveries towards the development of a speech neuroprosthetic device to restore communication for people living with paralysis.
Dr. Chang is the 2015 Blavatnik National Laureate in Life Sciences and was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, USA, in 2020 and the National Academy of Sciences, USA, in 2025.
Personal website: https://profiles.ucsf.edu/edward.chang
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