Warren M. Grill

Edmund T. Pratt, Jr. School Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Our research employs engineering approaches to understand and control neural function. We work on fundamental questions and applied development in electrical stimulation of the nervous system to restore function to individuals with neurological impairment or injury.

Current projects include:
• understanding the mechanisms of and developing advanced approaches to deep brain stimulation to treat movement disorders,
• developing novel approaches to peripheral nerve electrical stimulation for restoration of bladder function, 
• understanding the mechanisms of and developing advanced approaches to spinal cord stimulation to treat chronic pain,
• understanding and controlling the cellular effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation, and
• design of novel electrodes and waveforms for selective stimulation of the nervous system.

Appointments and Affiliations

  • Edmund T. Pratt, Jr. School Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering
  • Bass Fellow
  • Professor in Neurobiology
  • Professor in Neurosurgery
  • Core Faculty in Innovation & Entrepreneurship
  • Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences
  • Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society
  • Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Contact Information

Education

  • B.S. Boston University, 1989
  • M.S. Case Western Reserve University, 1992
  • Ph.D. Case Western Reserve University, 1995

Research Interests

Neural engineering and neural prostheses and include design and testing of electrodes and stimulation techniques, the electrical properties of tissues and cells, and computational neuroscience with applications in restoration of bladder function, treatment of movement disorders with deep brain stimulation, and treatment of chronic pain.

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

  • Fellow (NAI). National Academy of Inventors. 2022
  • Capers & Marion McDonald Award for Excellence in Teaching and Research. Pratt School of Engineering. 2018
  • Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award. NIH-NINDS . 2015
  • Scholar / Teacher of the Year Award. Duke University. 2014
  • Outstanding Postdoc Mentor. Duke University. 2013
  • Fellow. Biomedical Engineering Society. 2011
  • Fellow. American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. 2007

Courses Taught

  • NEUROSCI 515: Neural Prosthetic Systems (GE, EL, IM)
  • NEUROSCI 504: Fundamentals of Electrical Stimulation of the Nervous System (EL, GE)
  • NEUROSCI 494: Research Independent Study 2
  • NEUROSCI 493: Research Independent Study 1
  • NEUROSCI 301L: Bioelectricity (AC or GE)
  • BME 804: Developments in Neural Engineering
  • BME 791: Graduate Independent Study
  • BME 515: Neural Prosthetic Systems (GE, EL, IM)
  • BME 504: Fundamentals of Electrical Stimulation of the Nervous System (EL, GE)
  • BME 494: Projects in Biomedical Engineering (GE)
  • BME 493: Projects in Biomedical Engineering (GE)
  • BME 301L: Bioelectricity (AC or GE)

In the News

Representative Publications

  • Kumaravelu, Karthik, and Warren M. Grill. “Neural mechanisms of the temporal response of cortical neurons to intracortical microstimulation.” Brain Stimulation 17, no. 2 (March 2024): 365–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2024.03.012.
  • Peña, Edgar, Nicole A. Pelot, and Warren M. Grill. “Computational models of compound nerve action potentials: Efficient filter-based methods to quantify effects of tissue conductivities, conduction distance, and nerve fiber parameters.” PLoS Computational Biology 20, no. 3 (March 2024): e1011833. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011833.
  • Caussade, Thomas, Esteban Paduro, Matías Courdurier, Eduardo Cerpa, Warren M. Grill, and Leonel E. Medina. “Towards a more accurate quasi-static approximation of the electric potential for neurostimulation with kilohertz-frequency sources.” Journal of Neural Engineering 20, no. 6 (December 2023). https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-2552/ad1612.
  • Hokanson, James A., Christopher L. Langdale, and Warren M. Grill. “Pathways and parameters of sacral neuromodulation in rats.” American Journal of Physiology. Renal Physiology 325, no. 6 (December 2023): F757–69. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajprenal.00123.2023.
  • Barth, Bradley B., Emily R. Redington, Nitisha Gautam, Nicole A. Pelot, and Warren M. Grill. “Calcium image analysis in the moving gut.” Neurogastroenterology and Motility 35, no. 12 (December 2023): e14678. https://doi.org/10.1111/nmo.14678.