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Prof. Alexandre Datta's ped-LENS research group joins the DBE
Prof. Dr. Alexandre N. Datta has joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering (DBE) with his research group, the Multimodal Exploration Lab for Pediatric Epilepsy, Neurodevelopment & Sleep (ped-LENS). The group investigates the interplay between sleep, epilepsy, and cognitive development throughout childhood.
Datta studied medicine at the University of Basel, where he received his doctorate in 2000. He completed his clinical training at the UKBB and in Mendrisio, Geneva, and Aarau. He obtained his specialist qualification in pediatric and adolescent medicine in 2004, followed by qualifications in pediatric neurology in 2008 and developmental pediatrics in 2012. He also received certificates in electroencephalography in 2009 and sleep medicine in 2015.
From 2006 to 2007, Datta conducted postdoctoral research at the Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades in Paris and the Service Hospitalier Frédéric Joliot in Orsay, France. He completed his habilitation at the University of Basel in 2018, has led the Research Group Pediatric Epileptology and Sleep since 2019, and was appointed Clinical Professor of Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics in February 2024. Since March 2025, he has served as Chief and Head of the Department of Pediatric Neurology, Developmental Medicine, and Neurorehabilitation of Northwestern Switzerland.
At DBE, the ped-LENS group will integrate multimodal EEG, MRI, sleep, neuropsychological, and clinical data to model neural network development in healthy and epileptic brains. The research will focus on regeneration, homeostasis, and plasticity during sleep, as well as cognitive and therapeutic effects. The group will also develop clinically interpretable biomarkers to support individualized precision medicine.”