Dr Mark Gradwell is a neuroscientist investigating how the nervous system processes sensory information to shape the way we feel and move. His research spans both sensory and sensorimotor neuroscience, with a particular focus on understanding how neural circuits encode touch and pain, and how these processes become disrupted in disease and injury.

Following doctoral training in Australia, Dr Gradwell completed postdoctoral research at Rutgers University in the United States, where he developed and applied advanced molecular, anatomical, electrophysiological, and computational approaches to study spinal and brain circuits. His work has uncovered mechanisms by which spinal interneurons regulate sensory feedback and motor control, identified pathways that shape touch sensitivity, and revealed circuit adaptations that contribute to chronic pain.

Dr Gradwell has published in leading neuroscience journals, including Cell, Neuron, Pain, and Cell Reports, and has been identified as an “Emerging leader in neuroscience” (Weill Cornell Medicine, 2025). His current research focuses on how touch and pain signals are transmitted and integrated across the spinal cord and brain, with particular emphasis on how normally innocuous touch can become painful and how these neural circuits may be targeted therapeutically.

At HMRI and the University of Newcastle, Dr Gradwell leads a research program aimed at uncovering the neural mechanisms underlying sensory processing, motor control, and chronic pain, with the long-term goal of developing improved treatments for neurological and pain disorders.