The Dinstein lab was established in 2012 in the department of Psychology at Ben Gurion University, Israel. We study child development and autism using a wide range of techniques including parent questionnaires, behavioral assessments, psychophysics, neuroimaging (EEG, MRI, fMRI, and DTI), physiological measures from wearable devices (e.g., sleep, heart rate, activity), motion tracking in video recordings, speech analysis of audio recordings, and eye tracking. We perform basic science studies that reveal new insights about typical and atypical child development, physiology, and behavior. For example, we study the development of social skills measured with behavioral assessments, and examine how their proficiency is dependent on proper development of social attention (i.e., social gaze preferences), control of speech prosody/acoustics, appropriate sensory responses, and adequate sleep.
A major focus of the lab is developing techniques for research outside the lab ("in the wild"), utilizing wearable devices as well as video and audio analysis techniques that can be implemented in remote longitudinal studies with large cohorts in their home environment (e.g., using tablets and cell phones). We are training deep learning AI models to identify behaviors of interest (e.g., repetitive stereotypical movements common in autism) enabling their quantification over extended periods of time. We expect these techniques to have large impact on our understanding of typical human development including its structure and dependencies as well as identifying and quantifying behavioral and physiological changes in children with developmental concerns.
Prof. Dinstein is also the founding director of the Azrieli National Autism Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research. An institution that spearheads ASD research in Israel by managing large-scale research projects such as the establishment of a national database and biobank for ASD.
Join us! Postdoc and PhD positions are available for excellent candidates with a proven track record of publications. To apply, please send CV and previous publications here.