The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Neurosurgery is pleased to welcome Assistant Professor Adeel Ilyas, M.D.

Ilyas joins as a 50/50 surgeon-scientist, primarily performing epilepsy and deep brain stimulation (DBS) cases.

Ilyas completed his early secondary education at the American International School in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, before moving to Virginia, where he graduated with distinction from the Governor’s School for Science and Technology. He went on to earn his undergraduate degree in neuroscience with a minor in computer science from the University of Virginia in just three years. During this time, he was an Echols Scholar, consistently named to the Dean’s List, and completed a distinguished major thesis under the mentorship of Jaideep Kapur, MBBS, Ph.D. After working as a software engineer for a year, he returned to the University of Virginia to complete his medical degree, where his passion for neurosurgery took root.

He completed his neurosurgical residency at UAB under the mentorship of James Markert, M.D., MPH, Mark Hadley, M.D., and Winfield Fisher, M.D. During this time, he also completed a research fellowship at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, followed by a post-residency fellowship in functional neurosurgery at Memorial Hermann–Texas Medical Center.

In addition to his surgical expertise, Ilyas has a research background in machine learning and signal processing, with a focus on analyzing brain recordings to improve outcomes for patients with epilepsy.

Outside of work, Ilyas enjoys spending time with his family, hiking and reading.