ARIF A. HAMID, PhD

Assistant Professor of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota
Hanna Gray Fellow, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

4-160 Jackson Hall, 321 Church Street, Minneapolis, MN 55455
hamid008@umn.edu

twitter: @arifahamid

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

2016–2021 Postdoctoral Fellow/HHMI Hannah Gray Fellow
Brown University, Mentors: Dr. Michael Frank and Dr. Christopher Moore

2011-2016 Ph.D. in Neuroscience

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mentor: Dr. Joshua Berke

2008-2010 B.S. in Neuroscience,

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

Specialized summer courses

2017 Imaging Structure and Function Course, CSHL, Cold Spring Harbor, NY

2014 Okinawa Computational Neuroscience Course, OIST, Okinawa, Japan

2010 Neural Systems and Behavior Course, MBL, Woods Hole, MA

HONORS AND AWARDS

2024 UMinnesota Dept. of Neuroscience, Award for Advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

2021 Allen Institute for Brain Science, Next Generation Leader

2021 UMinnesota Medical School, Early Career Research Award

2020 Cell Press, 100 Inspiring Black Scientists in America

2019 NIH Office of the Director, Rising Star Award

2017-2025 Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Hanna H. Gray Fellowship

2017 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories, Helmsley Fellowship

2016 UMichigan Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Award for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis

2014 Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Travel Grant

2011-2013 University of Michigan, Rackham Merit Fellowship

2011 University of Minnesota, Luis Stokes NorthStar STEM Alliance Fellowship

INSTITUTIONAL SERVICE

2023-2024 Faculty Search Committee, University of Minnesota Department of Neuroscience
2022- Board Member, University of Minnesota, Duluth Global Health Research Institute
2021- Promotions Committee, UMinnesota Medical School, BA/MD Scholar
2018-2020 Executive Committee, Postdocs in Brain Science (PIBS), Brown University

EXTERNAL SERVICE

2022-present Course Director, Imbizo Computational Neuroscience Course. Capetown, South Africa.
2021-2024 Scientific Advisory Committee as Next Generation Leader, Allen Institute
2021 Subject Matter Expert, NASA Artificial Intelligence & Modeling for Space Biology
2020-2022 Abstract Selection Committee, COSYNE Conference
2019 Program Committee, Winter Conference on Brain Research (WBCR)
2019 Chair, Winter Conference on Brain Research Panel (WBCR)
2018 Chair, Gordon Research Seminar, Basal Ganglia
2017-2020 Associate Faculty Member, F1000 Neuroscience, Theoretical/Computational Neuroscience
2016 Organizing Committee, Gordon Research Seminar on Basal Ganglia

OUTREACH
2023 Series speaker, InspireTalks club of Southwest Minneapolis Highschool
2021- Conference Organizing Committee, International Oromo Health Professional Associaton
2021- Module director and advisor to students, IMBIZO Computational Neuroscience Course
2020- Mentor, Somali Academics

MENTORSHIP AND TRAINING PHILOSOPHY

Our lab is on a mission to train the next generation of scientists and bold thinkers who will shape the world. Everyone in the lab, myself included, is on a journey of growth, and my role as team leader is to cultivate a vibrant sandbox—a place where creativity and rigor can thrive. We prize creating a stimulating, growth-oriented intellectual environment centered on active learning, empowering the development of critical thinking, technical prowess, and unshakable grit.

My mentorship philosophy draws not only from my experiences as both a trainee and mentor but also from the rich academic literature on the neuronal and behavioral mechanisms of Active Learning, the interplay between Learning and Motivation, Causal Inference, and Hypothesis Testing (see our paper on the topic).

The path of scientific research is one of exhilarating successes and humbling setbacks, with their true significance emerging when viewed through a lens of self-discovery and growth. In my experience, transformative breakthroughs are born from small, hard-fought triumphs built upon the habit of welcoming, dissecting, and learning from failure. My goal as a mentor is to help build these skills in the context of our reserach as we collectively strive to uncover new scientific horizons.

OUTREACH

I am engaged in global outreach to empowering African scholars to become changemakers in their communities. Through collaborative engagements that refine skills and knowledge to develop locally tailored solutions, we aim to cultivate inclusive science and drive transformative and sustainable progress that resonates beyond the laboratory.

Outreach Project 1: Neuroscience Research Capacity Building in Ethiopia

We collaborate with Haramaya University in Eastern Ethiopia to enhance research capacity building in Brain Sciences. This project involves summits, workshops, clinical collaborations, and research collaborations facilitated by the UMN Global Health Research Institute (DGHRI) and the International Oromo Health Professionals Association (IOHPA).

Outreach Project 2: Machine learning and computational neuroscience in South Africa

I co-direct the Simmons Computational Neuroscience IMBIZO in Cape Town, a summer course designed to accelerate the development of neuroscience in Africa by providing immersive training in Computational Neuroscience and Machine Learning. Modeled after neuroscience summer courses in the West, this course brings together computational neuroscience faculty with African and intercontinental students every January.