About US Welcome to the McKnight Brain Institute!

Welcome to the Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute of the University of Florida, also known as the MBI. Click below to learn about our mission and outstanding neuroscience and neuromedicine research.

About Our institute

Jennifer Bizon
Director Dr. Jennifer Bizon

Welcome to the Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute of the University of Florida, also known as the MBI.

The MBI offers a rich scientific and intellectual environment that facilitates multidisciplinary understanding of nervous system function and dysfunction. The institute's 250-plus investigators from across UF seek to enhance lives through neuroscience research and education.

More than just a building, the MBI unites these researchers, who work at all levels of translational science to advance fundamental discovery and revolutionize clinical impact. Their work has propelled UF to a Top 5 ranking among all universities in the U.S. for neuroscience and neuromedicine research with more than $115 million in NIH funding.

At the broadest level, our programs fit into three research areas:

  • Acquired Neural Disorders: Our signature programs include neural control of respiration, spinal cord injury, stroke, and traumatic brain injury.
  • Cognition, Behavior, and Sensation: Our signature programs include age-related cognitive decline, developmental disorders, pain, sensory dysfunction, and substance use disorders and other neuropsychiatric diseases.
  • Neurological Diseases: Our signature programs include ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, brain tumor immunotherapy, and Parkinson’s disease, as well as other neurodegenerative disorders.

Our state-of-the-art, six-story building houses the laboratories of many of our researchers and physician-scientists and provides investigators from across UF access to a number of advanced technology facilities including the Advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy Facility (AMRIS), a National MagLab facility with 12 MRI and nuclear magnetic resonance instruments.

We are committed to training the next generation of researchers through our innovative and forward-thinking programs such as the Summer Neuroscience Internship Program for undergraduates and the Gator NeuroScholars enhanced fellowship program for postdoctoral researchers.

Thank you for visiting our website. We invite you to explore and learn more about our mission to enhance lives through neuroscience research and education.

Jennifer Bizon, Ph.D.
Director, Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute of the University of Florida 

MBI Leadership

Moving research forward

Our Leadership

Meet our administrative and leadership teams, which are committed to moving neuroscience and neuromedicine research forward.

Drone photo of the M-B-I building

Back in the Day

Our History

In 1991, Dr. William Luttge, came across an excerpt from an obscure newsletter announcing a call for proposals for a competitive Department of Defense grant to build a major brain and spinal cord research center.

Luttge family breaking ground on the M-B-I Play Video

McKnight Brain Research Foundation

MBRF logo

Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Research Foundation

In 1999, a generous gift from the McKnight Brain Research Foundation led to a new name for the University of Florida's Brain Institute — the Evelyn F. & William L. McKnight Brain Institute of the University of Florida. Evelyn F. McKnight and her husband William M. McKnight were interested in the effects of aging on memory, which inspired the establishment of the foundation as a legacy of support for research of the brain to alleviate the specific influence of age-related memory loss.

Contact US

Contact

Contact Us

We would enjoy hearing from you! Click below to view our contact information.

email

STAY INVOLVED

Join an Email List!

Stay up-to-date with all the latest happenings at the MBI. Click below to sign up for one of our listservs.

Cade 3
Brainstorm newsletter

Connecting

Read our Newsletter

Published quarterly, the MBI e-newsletter, The Brainstorm, will help you stay up-to-date with all the latest happenings at the MBI.

Gift Icon

Giving

Support the MBI

Join the MBI in our fight to enhance lives through a deeper understanding of brain aging, disease, dysfunction, and injury. Your philanthropy fuels innovation in neuroscience research and education in our effort to promote brain health across the lifespan.