Welcome to my page!
Theo F Marins, PhD
About me
I am a Brazilian neuroscientist with a strong focus on understanding how the human brain changes under specific conditions. My research employs advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) techniques to investigate the functional, structural, and neurochemical alterations in the brain, particularly in response to cognitive and motor training. My primary goal is to explore how these changes reflect the brain's capacity for plasticity and adaptation.
A central theme of my research involves using neurofeedback (NF) via functional MRI (fMRI) as a tool to explore brain plasticity and a method to modulate brain activity. NF allows individuals to gain real-time control over their brain patterns by receiving feedback based on their brain's activity while performing cognitive or motor tasks. Studies, many of which I am proud to have contributed to, have demonstrated that this technique can induce significant changes in brain activity, with promising implications for enhancing behavior and potentially aiding in the rehabilitation of neurological disorders.
Through this work, I seek to expand our understanding of how targeted interventions can harness the brain's inherent ability to rewire itself. My research is grounded in the idea that the brain's plasticity extends beyond what was traditionally thought possible, offering new avenues for therapeutic strategies and human performance enhancement.
Ph.D Theo Ferreira Marins
Recent publications
Academic CV
Academic milestones and positions
FWF ESPRIT Senior Postdoctoral Researcher - University of Graz, Graz, Austria - 01/01/2024 - present
Assistant Professor at D’Or Institute for Research and Education, Brazil — 29/10/2018 – 31/12/2023
Communications Assistant | Science Communication Department, D’Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro - Brazil — 01/03/2016 – 20/12/2018
Ph.D. in Neuroscience, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro - Brazil — 07/10/2014 – 26/10/2018
M.Sc. in Neuroscience, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro - Brazil — 20/08/2012 – 01/10/2014
B.S. in Biomedical Sciences, Fluminense Federal University - Brazil — 01/03/2009 – 20/07/2012
Research achievements
- Post-doctoral Fellowship from FAPERJ (Carlos Chagas Filho Foundation for Research Support of the State of Rio de Janeiro) - 2019*
* This fellowship is dedicated to ‘early-career researchers with outstanding academic performance (assessed through publications, awards achieved).’
- Honorable Mention: Capes The Best Brazilian Ph.D. Thesis Award - 2019*
* Capes is the federal agency that funds graduate programs in Brazil and selects the best Ph.D. thesis nationwide.
- Denise Pires Award for The Best Ph.D. Thesis from Graduate Program on Morphological Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro- 2019*
*This award was dedicated to the University Dean Denise Pires and nominated the best Ph.D. thesis for the Capes Award.
- Travel Award, International Research Consortium for the Corpus Callosum and Cerebral Connectivity - 2019.
- Ph.D. scholarship from the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), 2014 – 2018.
- Funded attendee of Summer School of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation, in Freiburg, Germany - Volkswagen Foundation – 2016.
- Oral Presentation Award, VIII International Symposium in Neuromodulation, Sao Paulo/Brazil – 2016.
- Travel Award, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2013.
- MSc scholarship from Capes agency, 2012 – 2014.
- Undergraduate scholarship from the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), 2010 – 2012.