When it comes to decoding and manipulating brain signals, Dr. Maryam Shanechi is among the best. She has been recognized with awards such as the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the MIT Technology Review World’s Top 35 Innovators under 35, and the Popular Science Brilliant 10, and is genuinely passionate about her work and research. In Part 1 of this two-part series, Dr. Shanechi, USC, Assistant Professor and Viterbi Early Career Chair in Electrical Engineering, shares the challenges of studying the brain and the success she has had in her career. She also dives into the potential of Brain-Machine Interfaces to determine and treat neurological disorders, how her background in Control Theory influenced her decision to research the brain, and why she believes this is a very exciting era for engineers, mathematicians, and scientists.