ATLANTA—Joaquin Lugo, PhD will begin a three-year term as Member-at-Large of the American Epilepsy Society (AES) Nominating Committee at the end of the Society’s 2025 Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA on December 5–8, 2025.
Dr. Lugo is a professor of psychology and neuroscience and faculty ombuds at Baylor University. He received his B.S. in neuroscience from Baylor University, his PhD from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, and completed postdoctoral training at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX.
His research focuses on the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and neuroinflammatory signaling pathways following early-life seizures in experimental models of epilepsy. His work aims to understand how seizures modify underlying mechanisms in the developing brain and how these pathways might be manipulated to restore normal function. The long-term goal of his laboratory is to develop therapeutics to benefit children living with epilepsy. His independent research program has been funded by the American Epilepsy Society, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, and internal grants from Baylor University.
Dr. Lugo has participated in several prestigious career development programs, including the Neuroscience Scholars Program from the Society for Neuroscience, the Keystone Symposia Fellows Program, MINDS, and BRAINS. He currently serves on the National Advisory Board for BRAINS.
His involvement with AES dates back to 2011. He has served on the Scientific Program Committee, the Basic Sciences Committee, and was co-chair of the AES Fellows and Junior Investigators Committee. He was also a member of the task force that led to the establishment of the AES Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. He currently serves on the DEI Committee and contributes to the BRIDGE as well as the Mentoring and Networking work groups.
For more information, visit the American Epilepsy Society online at aesnet.org. Join the AES social conversation today by following @AmEpilepsySoc on X and use the hashtag #AES2025.