After finishing medical school, Kuzniecky did a six-month stint as a research fellow at the Institute of Medical Research of the University of Buenos Aires.
He then returned to Panama where he completed a one-year internship at the CSS hospital in Panama City and then went into his second year of internship in the countryside.
In 1983 he was accepted to the Montreal neurological Institute, McGill University, for a neurology residency.
He went into an epilepsy/EEG fellowship at the Montreal Neurological Institute under Drs.
Pierre Gloor and Fred Andermann, which he completed in 1988.
That year he was appointed as Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Alabama Birmingham, where he began his academic career.
In 1992 he became Director of the UAB epilepsy center, a post he held until 2003.
In 1997-1998 he was appointed as visiting professor at the Department of Physics at the University College of London, where he did magnetic resonance imaging research.

In 1997, at the age of 40, he became full professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at UAB and served as interim chair of the Department of Neurology in 2002.
In 2003 he was appointed as Professor and Co-director of NYU Epilepsy Center at NYU School of Medicine, New York and in August 2017 he was appointed as vice-chair, Academic affairs and director clinical research, Department of Neurology at Northwell health.
His research is centered on the use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and its applications to epilepsy and on unraveling the major developmental brain malformations in epilepsy.
He was the first to recognize and prove that mesial temporal sclerosis, a common cause for difficult epilepsy, can be identified with MRI.

In the area of brain malformations, he is the co-author of the widely recognized classification scheme.
He has authored over 350 chapters and journal articles on a number of topics related to epilepsy.
He has written two books on MRI applications in epilepsy, and more recently two patient oriented books, Epilepsy 101:The Ultimate Guide for Patients and Families.
and Epilepsy surgery: a guide for patients .

In 2007, Kuzniecky was co-awarded a major grant from the National Institutes of Health to organize the Epilepsy Phenome/Genome Project.

Kuzniecky described the Kuzniecky Syndrome in 1991, also known as perisylvian polymicrogyria.
The syndrome is characterized by seizures, cognitive abnormalities, and a peculiar inability to use the mouth and tongue muscles.
This syndrome is recognized by as a specific malformation of the brain.

Additional research projects include the development of a watch sensor to detect convulsive seizures.
Kuzniecky continues to work on the Analysis of the Epilepsy Genome Phenome project through the EPi4K Genomic Discovery team.
In addition, Kuzniecky, in conjunction with Dr. Daniel Lowenstein and Dr. Jacqueline French, launched the Human Epilepsy Project (HEP).
This project, involving 30 sites, aims to recruit 500 patients with new onset epilepsy and follow them up for seven years.
In 2018, the HEP 2 project funded through the epilepsy foundation of America is starting to recruit patients at Northwell health.
More recently, Dr. Kuzniecky launched a study of cardiac function in epilepsy using the Linq cardiac monitor with the aim of monitoring cardiac rhythm long-term.
 
In the past years, Kuzniecky began a program to help children from Panama with severe epilepsy to have access to surgical treatment by collaborating with Panama neurologists and bringing a US epilepsy team member to Panama's children's hospital.
Since 2013, in conjunction with Dr. Howard Weiner from Texas Children's Hospital and others, the team has operated on many children with severe epilepsy.
The program has been supported by Panama's first lady office of social programs.
In 2016 he founded the non-profit foundation LUCES PANAMA that provides free anti-seizure medications to poor children with epilepsy in Panama.</ref> 
He has been recognized for his efforts in the "Best Doctors in America" in 1995, 1998, and 2002–2017, and by the New Yorker since 20
After finishing medical school, Kuzniecky did a six-month stint as a research fellow at the Institute of Medical Research of the University of Buenos Aires. He then returned to Panama where he completed a one-year internship at the CSS hospital in Panama City and then went into his second year of internship in the countryside. In 1983 he was accepted to the Montreal neurological Institute, McGill University, for a neurology residency. He went into an epilepsy/EEG fellowship at the Montreal Neurological Institute under Drs. Pierre Gloor and Fred Andermann, which he completed in 1988. That year he was appointed as Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Alabama Birmingham, where he began his academic career. In 1992 he became Director of the UAB epilepsy center, a post he held until 2003. In 1997-1998 he was appointed as visiting professor at the Department of Physics at the University College of London, where he did magnetic resonance imaging research.
In 1997, at the age of 40, he became full professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at UAB and served as interim chair of the Department of Neurology in 2002. In 2003 he was appointed as Professor and Co-director of NYU Epilepsy Center at NYU School of Medicine, New York and in August 2017 he was appointed as vice-chair, Academic affairs and director clinical research, Department of Neurology at Northwell health. His research is centered on the use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and its applications to epilepsy and on unraveling the major developmental brain malformations in epilepsy. He was the first to recognize and prove that mesial temporal sclerosis, a common cause for difficult epilepsy, can be identified with MRI. 
In the area of brain malformations, he is the co-author of the widely recognized classification scheme. He has authored over 350 chapters and journal articles on a number of topics related to epilepsy. He has written two books on MRI applications in epilepsy, and more recently two patient oriented books, Epilepsy 101:The Ultimate Guide for Patients and Families. and Epilepsy surgery: a guide for patients .
In 2007, Kuzniecky was co-awarded a major grant from the National Institutes of Health to organize the Epilepsy Phenome/Genome Project. 
Kuzniecky described the Kuzniecky Syndrome in 1991, also known as perisylvian polymicrogyria. The syndrome is characterized by seizures, cognitive abnormalities, and a peculiar inability to use the mouth and tongue muscles. This syndrome is recognized by as a specific malformation of the brain.
Additional research projects include the development of a watch sensor to detect convulsive seizures. Kuzniecky continues to work on the Analysis of the Epilepsy Genome Phenome project through the EPi4K Genomic Discovery team. In addition, Kuzniecky, in conjunction with Dr. Daniel Lowenstein and Dr. Jacqueline French, launched the Human Epilepsy Project (HEP). This project, involving 30 sites, aims to recruit 500 patients with new onset epilepsy and follow them up for seven years. In 2018, the HEP 2 project funded through the epilepsy foundation of America is starting to recruit patients at Northwell health. More recently, Dr. Kuzniecky launched a study of cardiac function in epilepsy using the Linq cardiac monitor with the aim of monitoring cardiac rhythm long-term.  
In the past years, Kuzniecky began a program to help children from Panama with severe epilepsy to have access to surgical treatment by collaborating with Panama neurologists and bringing a US epilepsy team member to Panama's children's hospital. Since 2013, in conjunction with Dr. Howard Weiner from Texas Children's Hospital and others, the team has operated on many children with severe epilepsy. The program has been supported by Panama's first lady office of social programs. In 2016 he founded the non-profit foundation LUCES PANAMA that provides free anti-seizure medications to poor children with epilepsy in Panama.</ref> 
He has been recognized for his efforts in the "Best Doctors in America" in 1995, 1998, and 2002–2017, and by the New Yorker since 20
Ruben Kuzniecky