Benson M. Irungu, PhD

Biography

Benson Mwangi Irungu, PhD, graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Uganda, East Africa  in 2005. He continued with a two year European Erasmus Mundus MSc in Computer Vision and Robotics at Heriot-Watt University- United Kingdom, University of Girona- Spain, and University of Burgundy- France. In August 2012, he completed a PhD in Neuroimaging from the University of Dundee – Scotland. For his doctorate, Irungu focused on predictive modelling of neuroimaging data in major depressive disorder. His thesis work had a specific focus on the role of advanced machine learning algorithms in predicting outcomes in major depression using structural neuroimaging scans. In December 2012, he joined the Center of Excellence on Mood Disorders, part of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, as a postdoctoral research fellow.

Irungu, currently an assistant professor, researches the development and application of novel big data and machine learning tools to multimodal neuroimaging and clinical data that may help elucidate the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders. This will result in new and novel biomarkers with potential clinical applications in diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic interventions. Irungu has published over 45 articles and presented internationally.