Brown University professor John Donoghue has been named a recipient of the 2026 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, one of the most prominent honors in the field. Donoghue was recognized for his pioneering work on brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), which are systems designed to restore voluntary movement and communication abilities in people with paralysis.
Donoghue is a professor of neuroscience and engineering at Brown and served as the founding director of what is now known as the Carney Institute for Brain Science. His research at Brown’s School of Engineering and Department of Neuroscience led to the development of the BrainGate BCI system. This technology, developed through collaborative research and clinical trials, aims to help individuals regain functions lost due to neurological injuries or illnesses.
“John Donoghue is honoured for his foundational leadership in advancing brain–computer interfaces, creating systems that decode neural activity to restore movement and communication,” stated the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation in its award citation. “By translating signals from the motor cortex into commands for external devices, his work, and that of the consortium he led, enables individuals with paralysis to regain independence, and serves as a building block for other contributors to continue to develop this technology.”
The announcement was made during an event at London’s Science Museum on February 3. In addition to Donoghue’s achievements with BCIs, eight other engineers were honored this year for their contributions to cochlear implants, deep brain stimulation, and electronic spinal cord stimulation. The laureates will be formally recognized at a later ceremony.
Donoghue expressed gratitude upon receiving the award: “This award recognizes the collaborative effort of our extraordinary team that has shown the potential for neurotechnology to overcome disability,” he said. “Our success required the close interaction of engineers, computer scientists, mathematicians, clinicians and neuroscientists, who all played a critical role in this accomplishment.”
He added: “The goal of our work in brain-computer interfaces has always been to help people living with paralysis and to unravel the mystery of brain codes to restore movement, control and communication — all within a strong ethical framework. It has been immensely gratifying to see advances toward those goals in our own BrainGate clinical trials and in the impressive work of research groups around the world. I am confident that progress made in BCIs will lead to revolutionary new treatments for people with paralysis and many other brain disorders.”
Greg Hirth, vice president for research at Brown University, commented on Donoghue’s recognition: “This is such a well-deserved honor for Professor Donoghue, after decades of groundbreaking research,” Hirth said. “The accomplishments of the BrainGate collaboration demonstrate what can be achieved when researchers from varied backgrounds come together around a common goal.”
Donoghue joined Brown University’s faculty in 1984. His early studies demonstrated that even after spinal cord injury or diseases like ALS had taken away voluntary movement abilities from patients, neural activity associated with intentional movement persisted in their brains. In 2006 his team showed that participants could use implanted electrodes connected via BrainGate technology not only move cursors on screens but also play video games by thought alone.
In 2012 another major milestone was reached when Cathy Hutchinson used BrainGate BCI technology during clinical trials; she controlled a robotic arm using her thoughts—successfully grasping a water bottle and drinking from it—demonstrating purposeful robotic reach-and-grasp via BCI.
Since then ongoing research has shown further advances: enabling users not only type text by thought but also speak using large language models; demonstrating long-term safety; improving calibration speed/accuracy; and developing wireless versions suitable for home use.
Donoghue acknowledged trial participants’ essential contributions as well as Brown University’s interdisciplinary environment: “Our success emerged from Brown’s extraordinary interdisciplinary culture where experts from different fields interact regularly,” he said. “And our students have also made many important contributions. This collective effort made our work possible.”
He noted that while significant progress has been made toward helping people with paralysis achieve daily activities through BCIs—including playing instruments or sports—there remains much work ahead.
Donoghue holds fellowships with several national academies including medicine and engineering societies worldwide; his awards include prizes such as International Prize for Translational Neuroscience among others; he has advised U.S government initiatives on neuroscience including President Barack Obama’s NIH BRAIN Initiative advisory committee; co-founded Cyberkinetics—a neurotechnology company—and continues advisory roles across industry/government sectors.
Other recipients honored alongside Donoghue include Graeme Clark, Erwin Hochmair, Ingeborg Hochmair and Blake Wilson (cochlear implants); Alim Benabid & Pierre Pollak (deep brain stimulation); Jocelyne Bloch & Grégoire Courtine (electronic spinal stimulation). Past winners feature notable figures such as AI leaders Yann LeCun/Jensen Huang; World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee; and GPS system pioneers.