Dr. Lei Wang is the Reva James Leeds Chair in Neuroscience and Research Leadership, Senior Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute, and Vice President of Scientific Affairs, Baycrest Academy for Research and Education. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering with Honors from the University of Maryland at College Park, and a master's and PhD in Engineering Sciences from Harvard University with Prof James Clark and Alan Yuille. He did his postdoctoral training in computational anatomy and brain mapping with Dr. Michael Miller at Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to joining Baycrest, Dr. Wang was a full professor with tenure in Psychiatry and Neuroscience at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Dr. Wang received his tenure at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in the Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed publications, many in the areas of computational anatomy, Alzheimer's and related dementias, and mental disorders. Dr. Wang's research has been continuously funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), totaling over US$16M as PI. Dr. Wang is known for his groundbreaking work at the intersection of neuroimaging, computational neuroscience, and aging. His research on neuroimaging biomarkers of neuropsychiatric disorders explores how brain structure and function change across the lifespan, with an emphasis on identification of early biomarkers linked to cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases. His innovative use of advanced imaging techniques and data-driven approaches has significantly advanced our understanding of brain aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and mood disorders in older persons, making him exceptionally well-suited to help drive BARE and Baycrest’s vision to defy dementia and support healthy aging. Dr. Wang is also a proponent of open science and has led several NIH-funded multi-center initiatives on data standards, data sharing, and data discovery. Dr. Wang's contributions have been recognized with honours such as the Ken and Ruth Davee Award for Innovative Investigations in Affective Disorders and an IDP Foundation Research Innovation Challenge Award. He is an elected fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and a fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP).