Media

Podcasts and Broadcast Interviews

Ø  Neural Implant Podcast with Ladan Jiracek, "Doctor Takashi Kozai Explains the Development of His Career and Research" (April 29, 2019). Career arc, Nature Materials carbon-fiber microthread, declined Neuralink offer, glia and neurodegeneration. YouTube id 6iILrUUpR4c. neuralimplantpodcast.com/doctor-takashi-kozai-explains-the-development-of-his-career-and-research

Ø  SKRAPS of Brilliance with JoJo Platt and Arun Sridhar, "The Fit and the Furious – TK Kozai: From Lab Life to Oh No He Didn’t." (February 16, 2021). B.I.O.N.I.C. Lab origins, research philosophy, and PI mentorship approach. skrapsofbrilliance.com/podcast/episode/4d6c3071/

Featured News and Institutional Media Coverage

Ø  MIT Technology Review, A. Regalado, "A Carbon Microthread That Makes Contact with the Mind" (Nov 11, 2012). First-author quote on Nature Materials microthread electrode; includes third-party endorsement from A. Schwartz (Pitt BCI researcher, not involved): "a nice demonstration that these fibers could be insulated [and] coated with an effective recording surface," with Schwartz also noting that small fibers are widely believed to be "ignored" by the brain. Syndicated by Don Mangus blog (dmangus.blogspot.com). technologyreview.com/2012/11/11/181737/a-carbon-microthread-that-makes-contact-with-the-mind/

Ø  University of Michigan press release "A Better Brain Implant: Slim Electrode Cozies Up to Single Neurons" (Nov 11, 2012), with first-author quote; syndicated to Medical Xpress and The University Record (UMich). news.umich.edu/a-better-brain-implant-slim-electrode-cozies-up-to-single-neurons/

Ø  NextBigFuture, B. Wang, "Ultrathin electrode spun from a single carbon fiber can record neurons in living animals" (November 12, 2012). Tech and futurist syndication of the MIT Technology Review piece, with extended quotation of the Nature Materials abstract and the "70-year electrode" framing. nextbigfuture.com/2012/11/ultrathin-electrode-spun-from-single.html

Ø  University of Pittsburgh News, "Bioengineer Receives $2.9 Million Grant to Improve Brain Implants" (June 18, 2014). Co-investigator on Cui R01 announcement. news.pitt.edu/news/bioengineer-receives-29-million-grant-improve-brain-implants Syndicated to Pitt Chronicle (chronicle.pitt.edu) and EurekAlert (eurekalert.org/news-releases/508689).

Ø  Pitt Department of Neurological Surgery, "Major Grants Awarded for Brain Implant Technology" (Nov 9, 2015). Two-grant announcement, $4.7M total, including initial BBB-damage R01. neurosurgery.pitt.edu/news/major-grants-awarded-brain-implant-technology

Ø  Pitt Swanson School of Engineering News, P. Kovach, "Bioengineering and the Brain" (April 13, 2018). Names TK among the founding Pitt neural engineering faculty (with Batista, Cui, Gandhi, Torres-Oviedo, Weber) supporting the University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute and the Neural Engineering Track. news.engineering.pitt.edu/bioengineering-and-the-brain/

Ø  EurekAlert (AAAS), "Pitt bioengineer receives $390K NIH grant to develop imaging technology that may improve brain implant design" (July 18, 2018). NIH R21 oligodendrocyte work with F. Cambi. eurekalert.org/news-releases/774944. Originating Pitt SSOE press release at engineering.pitt.edu/News/2018/Kozai-R21/ ($386,645, NINDS, two-year award; in vivo two-photon imaging of OPC dynamics around chronic brain implants).

Ø  Pitt Swanson School of Engineering News, "Uncovering the Power of Glial Cells" (January 8, 2018). Coverage of Salatino, Purcell, Ludwig, Kozai 2018 Nature Biomedical Engineering glial-cell perspective. Direct quote on the role of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells in BCI ("Although OPCs have been understudied in brain-computer interface, they form direct synapses with neurons and are critical to their repair"). news.engineering.pitt.edu/uncovering-the-power-of-glial-cells/

Ø  Pitt SSOE feature, "Changing Frequencies: Pitt Bioengineers Look Deeper Into How Electrical Stimulation Activates Neurons" (Jan 7, 2019). Michelson et al. JNR frequency-dependence paper. news.engineering.pitt.edu/changing-frequencies-pitt-bioengineers-look-deeper-into-how-electrical-stimulation-activates-neurons/

Ø  Pitt SSOE feature, "Pitt Bioengineers Create Ultrasmall, Light-Activated Electrode for Neural Stimulation" (Feb 15, 2019). Stocking et al. IEEE TBME photoelectric paper. news.engineering.pitt.edu/pitt-bioengineers-create-ultrasmall-light-activated-electrode-for-neural-stimulation/. Syndicated to EurekAlert (eurekalert.org/news-releases/709589) and McGowan Institute (mirm-pitt.net/pitt-bioengineers-create-ultra-small-light-activated-electrode-for-neural-stimulation/).

Ø  Pitt SSOE feature, "Advancing Neural Stimulation: Kozai Designs a Wireless, Light-Activated Electrode" (Jan 9, 2020). R01NS105691 announcement. news.engineering.pitt.edu/advancing-neural-stimulation-kozai-designs-a-wireless-light-activated-electrode/

Ø  Pitt SSOE feature, "Uncovering Stimulation’s Impact on Neurons" (April 7, 2020). NSF CAREER award announcement (#1943906, $437,144) for stimulation-frequency biomolecule-coating technology and the eBioNIC.org educational platform. engineering.pitt.edu/News/2020/Kozai-CAREER/

Ø  Pitt SSOE feature, "Getting the Full Scope" (Oct 12, 2020). $3.05M NIH BRAIN R01 announcement (R01NS115707, with Vazquez, glia and vasculature focus). Syndicated to EurekAlert (eurekalert.org/news-releases/651968). news.engineering.pitt.edu/getting-the-full-scope/

Ø  CNBC Make It, C. Clifford, "Elon Musk’s brain-computer interface company Neuralink has money and buzz, but hurdles too" (Dec 5, 2020). Multi-paragraph quotes on declined Neuralink offer, brain complexity, and engineering versus biology trade-offs. Syndicated to MSN. cnbc.com/2020/12/05/elon-musks-neuralink-bold-ideas-hurdles.html

Ø  Pitt SSOE feature, "A Microscope with a Macro View" (May 2023). NIH S10 multiphoton instrumentation grant announcement.

Ø  Pitt SSOE feature, "Human vs. Machine" (August 2023). Cambi/Kozai R01NS129632 announcement, by Elaine Vitone. Syndicated to EurekAlert (eurekalert.org/news-releases/997502) and Medical Xpress (medicalxpress.com/news/2023-08-human-machine-closer-nerve-insulating.html). news.engineering.pitt.edu/human-vs-machine/

Ø  The Transmitter (Simons Foundation), "$278 million cut in BRAIN Initiative funding leaves neuroscientists in limbo" (April 2024). Quoted on advocacy obligation and the cost to trainee careers and institutional knowledge. thetransmitter.org/funding/278-million-cut-in-brain-initiative-funding-leaves-neuroscientists-in-limbo/

Ø  University Times (Pitt), M. Levine, "Brain stimulation project will combine research on humans, primates and rodents" (July 26, 2024, Volume 56 Issue 24). Coverage of Pitt Momentum Scaling Award (with Vazquez, Gharbawie, Hooks, Huang, Gaunt) for cross-species ICMS work. Direct quotes on perceptual fading challenge ("so that pressure is always pressure or temperature is always temperature") and on Pitt’s science-communication gap ("we haven’t done a good job of communicating that and connecting with the rest of the world"). utimes.pitt.edu/news/brain-stimulation-project

Ø  Pitt Research Annual Report, "Blurring Lines Between Engineering and Biology Forms a Clearer Picture of the Brain" (Jan 12, 2025). Extended profile feature with multiple direct quotes. pittresearchannualreport.com/biology-bioengineering/blurring-lines

Ø  WESA NPR (90.5 FM), S. Boden, "Pitt, CMU face ‘significant uncertainty’ as NIH slashes funding for indirect research costs" (Feb 10–11, 2025). Quoted on indirect cost mechanics, hazardous-waste disposal, and PI workload impact. wesa.fm/health-science-tech/2025-02-10/pitt-cmu-national-institute-health-funding

Ø  The Pitt News, "‘Science is non-partisan’: Pitt researchers face NIH funding freeze" (February 7, 2025). Direct quotes on lab funding dependence ("99.99%" of lab’s research) and timeline for layoffs absent reactivation. pittnews.com/article/194138/featured/science-is-non-partisan-pitt-researchers-face-nih-funding-freeze/

Ø  CBS Pittsburgh / KDKA-TV, A. Sheehan, "Pitt, Carnegie Mellon could lose more than $100 million in NIH funding" (February 13, 2025). Multi-paragraph quotes including, "We’re trying to make ends meet by being creative but that’s only going to allow us to survive just a couple of months," plus extended commentary on photon microscope, electricity, internet, and data security as NIH-supported lab infrastructure. Companion 3:03 video segment "Pitt, CMU could lose close to $200 million in NIH funding." cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/pitt-cmu-could-lose-more-than-100-million-in-nih-funding/

Ø  WBUR News (Boston NPR), "Judge extends temporary block to huge cuts in National Institutes of Health medical research funding" (February 21, 2025). National-NPR context piece quoting on the misperception of overhead costs ("A lot of people think of overhead and think about a bunch of secretaries that push pencils, and that’s not at all what it pays for"), with detail on HVAC, clean rooms, and chemical-waste disposal. wbur.org/news/2025/02/21/massachusetts-boston-trump-nih-cuts-scientists-research

Ø  CBS Pittsburgh / KDKA-TV, P. Damp, "University of Pittsburgh to continue to allow doctoral admissions amid NIH funding uncertainty" (February 25, 2025). Re-quoted from prior segment on lab survival timeline and indirect-cost mechanics; establishes recurring source status across the Feb 2025 press cycle. cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/pitt-pauses-doctoral-admissions-amid-nih-funding-freeze/

Ø  Pittsburgh Business Times (Pittsburgh Business Journal), "NIH funding threat to Pittsburgh’s eds and meds" (February 28, 2025). Regional business-press coverage of the NIH indirect-cost cap impact on Pittsburgh research economy (paywalled). bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2025/02/28/nih-funding-threat-pittsburgh-eds-meds.html

Ø  Recurring expert source across the February 2025 NIH indirect-cost press cycle (WESA NPR, CBS Pittsburgh/KDKA broadcast and web, WBUR Boston NPR, The Pitt News, Pittsburgh Business Times). Sustained on-the-record commentary on indirect-cost mechanics, lab infrastructure economics, and timeline-to-layoffs implications.

Ø  Pitt SSOE feature, "Power Moves" (September 27, 2023). Profile feature by Elaine Vitone covering R01NS129632 award (Spring 2023, oligodendrocyte work), career narrative (ATP synthase pivot, between-cultures identity, financial-aid background), and eBioNIC.org founding. news.engineering.pitt.edu/power-moves/

Ø  Pitt SSOE feature, "Using Ultrasound to Boost Brain Implant Biocompatibility" (March 14, 2025). Nature Communications LIPUS paper, partnership with Actuated Medical. news.engineering.pitt.edu/using-ultrasound-to-boost-brain-implant-biocompatibility/

Ø  Pitt SSOE feature, "Bridging Minds" (April 16, 2025). Department-level neural engineering feature with direct quote on ICMS perceptual fading and chronic stimulation reliability ("ICMS works by activating both neuronal and non-neuronal cells, but understanding how these responses change over time is critical"). Co-quoted with Collinger, Cui, Ibrahim, González-Martínez, and Batista. news.engineering.pitt.edu/bridging-minds/

Ø  Pitt SSOE feature, "Diamonds in the Mind" (July 17, 2025). R01NS105691 Y6–Y10 renewal at 1 percentile and boron-doped diamond wireless axon project. news.engineering.pitt.edu/diamonds-in-the-mind/

Ø  Pitt SSOE feature, "Bioengineering Faculty earn SSOE named professorships, fellowships" (April 15, 2026). Ernest E. Roth Professor appointment announcement (Sept 1, 2025 – Aug 31, 2030), with direct quote on collective trainee/collaborator contributions and SSOE clinical-to-laboratory translational orientation. Co-announced with Batista (Bevier Professor, new), Cui (Bevier Professor, reappointment), and Torres-Oviedo (Orr Faculty Fellow). news.engineering.pitt.edu/bioengineering-faculty-earn-ssoe-named-professorships-fellowships/

Long-Form Public-Facing Writing

Ø  "Why BCIs Fail" LinkedIn essay series (January 2025–present). Sustained science-communication series of 13 planned long-form essays explaining biological mechanisms of brain-computer interface failure for an audience spanning neurotechnology researchers, engineers, funders, clinicians, and informed general readers. Primer plus posts 1–5+ published as of May 2026. linkedin.com/in/tkozai

Ø  NIH funding and NOFO collapse LinkedIn series (2025–2026). Companion advocacy series on the consequences of the FY2024 BRAIN Initiative cuts and FY2025 NIH funding-opportunity disruptions, drawing on quantitative analysis of NOFO publication rates. linkedin.com/in/tkozai

Ø  BCI runway and ecosystem-moat capstone post (April 19, 2026). Saturday-morning capstone post paired with NSCEB commission memo arguing that U.S. competitive advantage in BCI rests on the people-and-ecosystem moat, not on knowledge withholding.