Dr. Toru Shimizu is the associate dean of faculty affairs at the College of Arts and Sciences and a professor in the Department of Psychology, where he also leads the Comparative Cognition and Neuroscience lab. Dr. Shimizu's research centers on comparative neuroscience and evolution of the brain and cognition in vertebrates, focusing specifically on the avian brain. An internationally renowned neurobiologist, Dr. Shimizu's research examines the neural basis of visual and cognitive abilities in birds using behavioral, physiological, anatomical, and neurochemical research methods. Dr. Shimizu and his colleagues also conducted pioneering research using neuro-imaging techniques on the brain of live birds. Most recently, Dr. Shimizu has been involved in a collaborative research study computationally examining the extensive connection patterns of more than 50 brain structures of birds. These lines of research have led to discoveries of the similarity between non-mammalian and mammalian brain circuitry and functionality despite the lack of a neocortex in the non-mammalian brain. Dr. Shimizu's overall contributions to comparative neural function in mammals and birds have transformed the field of comparative neuroscience and continue to provide important insights into the evolution of the vertebrate brain as well as the underlying neural mechanism for complex behavior. A highly regarded expert, he has been invited to present at dozens of scientific conferences around the world. He has led grants totaling more than $4.2 million, and he has published over 100 articles and abstracts and co-authored two books. Dr. Shimizu received his B.A. in psychology from Keio University in Tokyo. He earned an M.S. in psychology as well as a Ph.D. in psychology, both from the University of Maryland, College Park. He served as a post-doctoral neuroscientist at the University of California, San Diego.