Michael Breakspear

University of Newcastle - HMRI Node co-Director

Professor Michael Breakspear is Co-Director of the University of Newcastle node of the National Imaging Facility. A psychiatrist and computational neuroscientist, he uses mathematical modelling and neuroimaging to understand how the brain’s structure shapes its activity and function. His work has helped shift systems neuroscience from describing brain activity to explaining it, with models of how coordinated large-scale activity emerges, reorganises and becomes unstable. Recent research includes geometric constraints on brain function, multiscale organisation of neuronal activity and mechanistic models of amyloid-related network dysfunction. He led the Prospective Imaging Study of Ageing, which combines genetics, brain imaging and cognitive testing to investigate why people differ in brain ageing and dementia risk. His current work builds generative models of brain disorders and explores how AI can support mental health care. He leads interdisciplinary teams spanning neuroscience, mathematics, physics and clinical science, and supports Indigenous-led brain-imaging research at the HMRI Imaging Centre.