Prof. Dr. Ir. Kiavash MOVAHEDI

Prof. dr. ir. Kiavash Movahedi is a tenure-track professor at the University of Brussels (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) in Belgium. His group is focused on brain immunology and neuro-immune interactions, with a deep interest in brain macrophages. More specifically, the Movahedi lab studies the heterogeneity and functions of microglia and non-parenchymal brain macrophages and seeks to understand their role in homeostasis and disease. To do so, the lab continuously invests in cutting-edge technologies, including single-cell multi-omic analysis, genome engineering and stem cell technology. The goal is to develop new therapies for neurodegenerative disease and brain cancer, by modulating or enhancing macrophages and neuroinflammatory responses. 

Dr. Movahedi graduated as a Bioengineer and obtained his PhD in Bioscience Engineering at the University of Brussels in 2010, supported by a fellowship from Research Foundation Flanders (FWO). Subsequently, Dr. Movahedi performed postdoctoral training at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Germany as an Alexander Von Humboldt fellow. In 2015 he returned to Belgium via the Attract Brains to Brussels program from Innoviris and started his independent research unit at the VUB. In 2020 Dr. Movahedi transitioned into a tenure-track position and was named a Collen-Francqui research professor at the Brussels Health Campus in the department of biomedical sciences.