About

Mission

The primary goal of the IBB is to motivate students to learn about the brain and to inspire them to pursue careers in neuroscience so they can help treat and find cures for brain disorders.

Board of Directors

Ms. Tasia Asakawa

Board Chair (FENS); Executive Director, Federation of European Neuroscience Societies

Dr. Jaime L. Diaz-Granados

Immediate Past Chair (APA); Deputy Chief Executive Officer, American Psychological Association

Mr. Marty Saggese

Board Vice-Chair (SfN); Executive Director, Society for Neuroscience

Dr. Lars Kristiansen

Board Treasurer (IBRO); Executive Director, International Brain Research Organization

Ms. Natasha Slater

Board Secretary (IBRO); Director of External Relations, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, International Brain Research Organization

Dr. Maria Carrillo

Board Member (AA); Chief Science Officer, Alzheimer’s Association

Dr. Caroline Di Bernardi Luft

Board Member (APA); Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Brunel University

Dr. Patricia Gaspar

Board Member (FENS); INSERM Director Emeritus, Paris Brain Institute

Dr. Emma Yhnell

Board Member (SfN); Associate Dean, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, College of Biomedical & Life Sciences, Cardiff University

Dr. Timothy Fullam

Board Member (AAN); Neurologist, Neuromuscular Disorders, Barrow Neurological Institute

Dr. Norbert Myslinski

Board Member and Founder; Emeritus Professor of Neuroscience, University of Maryland

IBB Team (part-time)

Astrid Eberhart

Executive Director

Dr. Ionut Dumitru

Academic Director

Marlene Aßfalg

Project Manager

Florian Kohrt

IT Consultant

Matthias Kaiser

IBB Coordinator

IBB Interns

Jerry (Siqi) Pan

Communications

History

1998

The Brain Bee was founded by Dr. Norbert Myslinski at the University of Maryland in the United States as a neuroscience competition for high school students.

2008

The first international Brain Bee competition was held in Montreal, Canada, in conjunction with the Canadian Annual Neuroscience Meeting and in partnership with the Canadian Association for Neuroscience and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) – Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction.

2008–2017

The Brain Bee grew from a grassroots effort into a global educational and outreach initiative, thanks to the extraordinary commitment of volunteers around the world.

2018

Five major organizations dedicated to brain research and education joined forces with Brain Bee founder Dr. Norbert Myslinski to formally establish the International Brain Bee (IBB) as a nonprofit educational organization: the American Psychological Association (APA), the Dana Foundation, the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS), the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO), and the Society for Neuroscience (SfN).

2021

The Alzheimer’s Association joined the IBB as a Governing Partner.

The IBB held its first virtual World Championship, enabling national Brain Bee champions from around the world to compete remotely. The virtual format subsequently became a permanent feature of the IBB’s international competition.

2024

The IBB introduced its NextGen program, bringing top World Championship winners to major international neuroscience conferences for opportunities to engage with scientists, explore research, and learn about careers in neuroscience. The inaugural program was held at the FENS Forum in Vienna, Austria.

2026

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) joined the IBB as a Governing Partner, further strengthening its network of leading organizations dedicated to neuroscience, brain research, and education.

Brain Bee Founder

Dr. Norbert Myslinski is a member of the University of Maryland’s Department of Neural Pain Sciences in Baltimore. He has devoted his professional life to teach about the human brain around the world. He founded the Brain Bee 1998 and fostered its growth into a successful global initiative. In 2016, Dr. Myslinski was awarded the SfN Science Educator Award supported by the Dana Foundation.

The IBB Logo

The Brain Bee logo consists of a combination of a brain on the top and a bee on the bottom, reflecting the name: the brain for the main focus of the competition, and the bee for the coming together for challenging, educational competition. The stinger of the bee represents the quill or tip of a pen, the sign of intelligence and education. The two lobes of the brain also resemble the traditional symbol of the heart, symbolizing passion for our fellow man.