Fellowship Programs

KLINGENSTEIN-SIMONS FELLOWSHIP AWARDS IN NEUROSCIENCE

Through its collaboration with the Simons Foundation, the Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship Awards in Neuroscience supports early career investigators engaged in basic or clinical research that may lead to a better understanding of neurological and psychiatric disorders. The fellowship awards promote high-risk, and potentially high-reward, projects.

Aimed at advancing cutting-edge investigations, the awards are presented to highly promising, early career scientists. At this critical juncture in their careers, funding can be a challenge.

Fellows

Sarah Ackerman, Ph.D.

Glial modulation of developmental and pathological circuit plasticity

Institution

  • Washington University in St. Louis

Lab Website

Paul R. Adams, Ph.D.

1937–2011

Institution

  • Stony Brook University

Lab Website

Rachel Alison Adcock, Ph.D.

Anticipating Memories: Integrative Imaging of Dopaminergic Midbrain and Hippocampus

Institution

  • Duke University

Lab Website

Ralph Adolphs, Ph.D.

Combining Lesion and Single-Unit Studies of the Human Amygdala

Institution

  • University of Iowa

Lab Website

Susanne Ahmari, M.D., Ph.D.

Visualizing the Striatal Neural Code Underlying Compulsive Behaviors

Institution

  • University of Pittsburgh

Lab Website

Carlos D. Aizenman, Ph.D.

Visual activity-driven regulation of intrinsic excitability in the developing visual system

Institution

  • Brown University

Lab Website

Myles Hugh Akabas, Ph.D.

Institution

  • Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Lab Website

Amber L. Alhadeff, Ph.D.

Gut signaling effects on homeostatic and reward circuits

Institution

  • Monell Chemical Senses Center

Lab Website

Benjamin R. Arenkiel, Ph.D.

Uncovering Circuits of Feeding Behavior

Institution

  • Baylor College of Medicine

Lab Website

Ghazaleh Ashrafi, Ph.D.

Molecular Mechanisms of Metabolic Flexibility in Neurotransmission

Institution

  • Washington University in St. Louis

Lab Website

John A. Assad, Ph.D.

The role of extraretinal signals in primate posterior parietal cortex

Institution

  • Harvard University

Lab Website

Leon Avery, Ph.D.

Institution

  • UT Southwestern Medical Center

Lab Website

Herwig Baier, Ph.D.

Behavior-genetic analysis of nervous-system excitability and adaptability

Institution

  • University of California, San Francisco

Lab Website

Arkarup Banerjee, Ph.D.

Cortical Circuit Mechanisms for Vocal Interactions

Institution

  • Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Lab Website

Matthew Banghart, Ph.D.

Striatal compartmentalization of goal-directed and habitual behavior

Institution

  • University of California, San Diego

Lab Website

Scott C. Baraban, Ph.D.

Genetic & Cellular Basis of Seizure Resistance: Studies in Zebrafish and Transgenic Mice

Institution

  • University of California, San Francisco

Lab Website

Carrolee Barlow, Ph.D.

Analysis of Diseases of the Nervous System Using Animal Models

Institution

  • The Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Lab Website

Ben A. Barres, Ph.D.

1954-2017

Institution

  • Stanford University

In Memoriam

Michele A. Basso, Ph.D.

Physiological Underpinnings of Movement Disorders in Non-human Primates

Institution

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison

Lab Website

Jayeeta Basu, Ph.D.

A Feedback Memory Circuit To Modulate Cortical Sensory Processing

Institution

  • New York University

Lab Website

Marie Bechler, Ph.D.

Mechanotransduction Signaling that Establishes CNS Myelin

Institution

  • SUNY Upstate Medical University

Lab Website

Francesco Belardetti, Ph.D.

Institution

  • UT Southwestern Medical Center

Lab Website

Nicholas Bellono, Ph.D.

Molecular mechanisms of multisensory integration

Institution

  • Harvard University

Lab Website

Yahuda Ben-Shahar, Ph.D.

Posttransciptional mRNA dependent regulation of neuronal excitability

Institution

  • Washington University in St. Louis

Lab Website

Andrés Bendesky, M.D., Ph.D.

An organismic approach to study exploratory behavior

Institution

  • Columbia University

Lab Website

Frederick Bennett, M.D.

Targeting Microglia to Treat Neurologic and Psychiatric Diseases

Institution

  • University of Pennsylvania

Lab Website

J. Nicholas Betley, PhD

Deciphering the neural circuits that mediate pain

Institution

  • University of Pennsylvania

Lab Website

Aparna Bhaduri, Ph.D.

Understanding Regulators of Area-Specific Identity in the Developing Human Cortex

Institution

  • University of California, Los Angeles

Lab Website

James W. Bisley, Ph.D.

Neural mechanisms underlying the allocation of visual attention

Institution

  • University of California, Los Angeles

Lab Website

Seth Blackshaw, Ph.D.

The molecular basis of cell specification and regeneration in neuroendocrine hypothalamus

Institution

  • Johns Hopkins University

Lab Website

Vadim Bolshakov, Ph.D.

Synaptic mechanisms of fear-conditioning

Institution

  • Harvard University

Lab Website

Azad Bonni, Ph.D.

Neurotrophin Regulation of Cell Death in the Central Nervous System

Institution

  • Harvard University

  • Robert H. Ebert Clinical Scholar

Lab Website

Richard T. Born, Ph.D.

Institution

  • Harvard University

Lab Website

Laura N. Borodinsky, Ph.D.

Early Calcium-Dependent Neuronal Activity and its Role During Nervous System Development

Institution

  • University of California, Davis

Lab Website

Mary B. Boyle, Ph.D.

Institution

  • University of Texas

Michael S. Brainard, Ph.D.

Neural mechanisms of experience-dependent plasticity in the song system

Institution

  • University of California, San Francisco

Lab Website

David S. Bredt, M.D., Ph.D.

Institution

  • University of California, San Francisco

Ali Hemmati Brivanlou, Ph.D.

Molecular Aspect of Vertebrate Neural Induction

Institution

  • The Rockefeller University

Lab Website

Stephen Brohawn, Ph.D.

Molecular mechanisms of sensory transduction

Institution

  • University of California, Berkeley

Lab Website

Solange Brown, M.D., Ph.D.

Neural circuits regulating the cortical response to sensory input

Institution

  • Johns Hopkins University

Lab Website

Anne Brunet, Ph.D.

Role of the FOXO Family of Forkhead Transcription Factors in the Nervous System

Institution

  • Stanford University

Lab Website

Randy M. Bruno, Ph.D.

Domination of cortical activity by small groups of synapses

Institution

  • Columbia University

Lab Website

Margit Burmeister, Ph.D.

Institution

  • University of Michigan

Lab Website

Denise Cai, Ph.D.

Circuit dynamics of linking and separating aversive memories

Institution

  • Mount Sinai Health System

Lab Website

Nicole Calakos, M.D., Ph.D.

Synaptic Basis of OCD: Role for a Post-Synaptic Scaffold Protein

Institution

  • Duke University

  • Robert H. Ebert Clinical Scholar

Lab Website

Edward M. Callaway, Ph.D.

Institution

  • The Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Lab Website

Arthur Camerman, Ph.D.

1937–2011

Institution

  • University of Washington

Jiangua Cang, Ph.D.

Functional Studies of Neural Circuits in the Mouse Superior Colliculus

Institution

  • Northwestern University

Lab Website

Stephen C. Cannon, Ph.D.

Institution

  • Harvard University

Lab Website

Jessica A. Cardin, Ph.D.

Distinct sources of inhibition differentially regulate cortical activity

Institution

  • Yale University

Lab Website

Adam G. Carter, Ph.D.

Dendritic Inhibition in Cortical Pyramidal Neurons

Institution

  • New York University

Lab Website

Edward R. Chang, Ph.D.

The Functional Organization of Speech Perception Encoding in Human Temporal Cortex

Institution

  • University of California, San Francisco

Scholarship

Lab Website

Lucas Cheadle, Ph.D.

Microglial Regulation of Experience-Dependent Circuit Refinement in Mouse and Human Cortex

Institution

  • Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Lab Website

Ritchie Chen, Ph.D.

Understanding emotions by studying brain-body pathways

Institution

  • University of California, San Francisco

Lab Website

Hwai-Jong Cheng, Ph.D.

Mechanisms of Stereotyped Axon Pruning

Institution

  • University of California, Davis

Lab Website

Dmitri Chklovskii, Ph.D.

Potential Connectivity in Cortical Circuits

Institution

  • Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Lab Website

Senyon Choe, Ph.D.

Crystal structure of ion channels

Institution

  • The Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Lab Website

Jerold J. M. Chun, M.D., Ph.D.

Institution

  • University of California, San Diego

Lab Website

SueYeon Chung, Ph.D.

Probing brain functions from neural populations via geometric analysis and machine learning

Institution

  • New York University

Lab Website

Mark M. Churchland, Ph.D.

Electrophysiological and Pharmacological Investigation of Voluntary Reaction Time

Institution

  • Columbia University

Lab Website

Anne Churchland, Ph.D.

Population coding for multisensory decision-making

Institution

  • Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Lab Website

Thomas R. Clandinin, Ph.D.

Genetic Approaches to Understanding the Functional Architecture of the Nervous System

Institution

  • Stanford University

Lab Website

James C. Clemens, Ph.D.

Dscam mediated control of neuronal connection specificity in Drosophila

Institution

  • Purdue University

Lab Website

Hollis Cline, Ph.D.

Institution

  • Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Lab Website

Jeremiah Cohen, Ph.D.

Serotonin neural circuits for reward and mood

Institution

  • Johns Hopkins University

Lab Website

Marlene Cohen, Ph.D.

Relating groups of visual neurons to perceptual decisions

Institution

  • University of Pittsburgh

Lab Website

Andrew J. Cole, Ph.D.

Institution

  • Harvard University

Lab Website

Laura L. Colgin, Ph.D.

Uncovering the functional significance of different frequencies of gamma rhythms in the hippocampus

Institution

  • University of Texas, Austin

Lab Website

Robert C. Collins, Ph.D.

Institution

  • University of California, Los Angeles

Daniel A. Colon-Ramos, Ph.D.

Molecular factors directing orchestrated circuit formation during the development of the thermotaxis circuit in C. elegans

Institution

  • Yale University

Lab Website

Barry Connors, Ph.D.

Institution

  • Brown University

Lab Website

Christine Constantinople, Ph.D.

Neural and hormone basis for sex-specific economic decision making

Institution

  • New York University

Lab Website

Diego Contreras, Ph.D.

Mechanisms of generation of seizures in corticothalamic networks

Institution

  • University of Pennsylvania

Lab Website

Gabriel Corfas, Ph.D.

Molecular Mechanisms of Neuronal Migration

Institution

  • Harvard University

Lab Website

Michael C. Crair, Ph.D.

Synaptic rules and mechanisms governing the development of cortical maps

Institution

  • Baylor College of Medicine

Lab Website

Peter Benjamin Crino, Ph.D.

Molecular Pathogenesis of Human Focal Cortical Dysplasia

Institution

  • University of Pennsylvania

Lab Website

Richard Daneman, Ph.D.

Understanding the Blood-Brain Barrier as a dynamic component of the Neural Circuitry

Institution

  • University of California, San Diego

Lab Website

Aniruddha Das, Ph.D.

Understanding the Intracortical Interactions that Underlie Primary Visual Cortex Neuronal Responses to Complex Visual Stimuli

Institution

  • Columbia University

Lab Website

Pramod K. Dash, Ph.D.

Institution

  • University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Lab Website

Graeme Davis, Ph.D.

Synaptic Basis of Epilepsy: A Genetic Analysis

Institution

  • University of California, San Francisco

Lab Website

Ian Davison, Ph.D.

Neural mechanisms of pheromonal imprinting

Institution

  • Boston University

Lab Website

Benjamin De Bivort, Ph.D.

Discovering engrams of individuality in Drosophila sensory circuitry

Institution

  • Harvard University

Lab Website

Angel L. De Blas, Ph.D.

Institution

  • University of Connecticut

Lab Website

Pietro De Camilli, M.D.

John Klingenstein Professor of Neuroscience and Professor of Cell Biology

Institution

  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Lab Website

Karl Deisseroth, Ph.D.

Developing a Novel Tool for Modulating Adult Neurogenesis

Institution

  • Stanford University

  • Robert H. Ebert Clinical Scholar

Lab Website

Laura DeNardo, Ph.D.

mPFC–thalamic Circuits in the Emergence of Enduring Fearful Memories

Institution

  • University of California, Los Angeles

Lab Website

Susan A. DeReimer, Ph.D.

Institution

  • Meharry Medical College

Lab Website

Dion Dickman, Ph.D.

Genetic Mechanisms and Adaptations Driving Sleep and Synaptic Homeostatsis

Institution

  • University of Southern California

Lab Website

Jun Ding, Ph.D.

Synaptic Integration Mechanism Underlying Movement Control

Institution

  • Stanford University

Lab Website

Raymond Dingledine, Ph.D.

Institution

  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Lab Website

Jane Dodd, Ph.D.

Institution

  • Columbia University

Lab Website

Gul Dolen, M.D., Ph.D.

Development and validation of novel tools for dissecting the synaptic and circuit basis of social brain function

Institution

  • Johns Hopkins University

Lab Website

Daniel A. Dombeck, Ph.D.

Two-photon imaging of dendritic integration in place cells

Institution

  • Northwestern University

Lab Website

Xinzhong Dong, Ph.D.

Molecular and genetic analysis of pain-sensing neurons

Institution

  • Johns Hopkins University

Lab Website

Jeff Donlea, Ph.D.

Investigating the role of sleep in synaptic pruning

Institution

  • University of California, Los Angeles

Lab Website

Allison J. Doupe, Ph.D.

1954–2014

Institution

  • University of California, San Francisco

Juan Du, Ph.D.

Regulation mechanism of thermosensitive receptors in nervous system

Institution

  • Van Andel Institute

Lab Website

Xin Duan, Ph.D.

Decoding Roles of Combinatorial Cadherins in Retinal Circuit Assembly

Institution

  • University of California, San Francisco

Lab Website

Kathleen Dunlap, Ph.D.

Institution

  • Tufts University

Lab Website

Felice Dunn, Ph.D.

Temporal and spatial control of photoreceptor damage to understand retinal disease

Institution

  • University of California, San Francisco

Lab Website

Our Fellows: View an alphabetical list of all fellows.
Our Granted Institutions: View a list of all granted institutions.