David Escobar, Ph.D.

Dr. David Escobar is an assistant staff (faculty) in the Department of Biomedical Engineering (Lerner Research Institute) and Neurological Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, where he directs the Neural Dynamics and Modulation Laboratory. His research is aimed to develop effective, precise, and patient-specific brain stimulation therapies for Parkinson’s disease (PD) and epilepsy. This research leverages the fields of neurophysiology, data science, dynamical systems, and feedback (closed-loop) control to identify circuit-wide neural dynamics causally linked to the manifestation of brain conditions, and to develop closed-loop brain stimulation techniques that control these dynamics in real-time. Dr. Escobar also develops technologies and methods to enable and advance research and innovation in the neuromodulation field. These technologies include portable electronic systems to deliver multi-objective closed-loop stimulation therapies, and devices to objectively quantify motor performance in Parkinson’s disease patients.

Dr. Escobar collaborates with a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, scientists, and engineers across the Neurological Institute and Lerner Research Institute at the Cleveland Clinic to develop and test comprehensive neuromodulation treatments for Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and other brain conditions.

Dr. Escobar received an M.S. and a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Minnesota in 2012 and 2015, respectively. His graduate research was on data-driven modeling of dynamical systems and robust feedback (closed-loop) control. In 2015, he joined the Department of Neurology at the University of Minnesota as a postdoctoral fellow where he conducted preclinical and clinical research on neurophysiology, the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease, and closed-loop deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapies.

Email: escobad2 AT ccf DOT org