Cori Bargmann

Cori Bargmann is an American neurobiologist and geneticist renowned for her pioneering research into the neural circuits governing behavior. Using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism, her work has elucidated fundamental principles of how genes influence sensory perception, decision-making, and social interactions. Her leadership has significantly shaped major scientific initiatives, including the BRAIN Initiative, and she holds prestigious positions at The Rockefeller University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Early life and education

Bargmann was born in 1961 and developed an early interest in science. She completed her undergraduate studies in biochemistry at the University of Georgia, graduating in 1981. She then pursued her doctoral degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she worked in the laboratory of cancer biologist Robert A. Weinberg. Her PhD research focused on the ras oncogene, providing a strong foundation in molecular genetics. For her postdoctoral training, she joined the laboratory of H. Robert Horvitz at MIT, where she transitioned to neuroscience and began her groundbreaking work with C. elegans.

Research and career

Bargmann started her independent faculty career at the University of California, San Francisco in the 1990s. Her laboratory quickly became a world leader in using genetic approaches to dissect the nervous system of C. elegans. She developed innovative methods to visualize and manipulate neural activity in the worm's compact brain. In 2004, she was recruited to The Rockefeller University as a Torsten N. Wiesel Professor, and she also became an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Her career is marked by a consistent focus on linking molecular genetics to circuit function and observable behavior.

Awards and honors

Bargmann has received numerous prestigious awards recognizing her scientific contributions. These include the 2012 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience, which she shared with Winfried Denk and Ann Graybiel, and the 2013 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Institute of Medicine. She has also been honored with the 2018 Gruber Prize in Neuroscience and the 2023 Wolf Prize in Medicine. Her work has been supported by fellowships from the Searle Scholars Program and the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience.

Scientific contributions

Bargmann's most influential work has deciphered how neural circuits process sensory information to generate flexible behaviors. Her lab identified the complete set of G protein-coupled receptors for odors in C. elegans, mapping how olfactory cues are encoded in the brain. She discovered how a single gene, *npr-1*, controls a switch between social feeding and solitary behavior by modulating responses to oxygen levels. Her research on the neural circuits for foraging and navigation revealed core principles of neuromodulation and decision-making that are conserved across species, providing critical insights relevant to psychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.

Leadership and advocacy

Beyond the laboratory, Bargmann has played a defining role in guiding large-scale neuroscience projects. She co-chaired the advisory committee for the BRAIN Initiative, launched by the National Institutes of Health under the direction of Francis Collins. She has served as president of the Society for Neuroscience and on the scientific advisory boards of the Allen Institute for Brain Science, the Janelia Research Campus, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. In these roles, she has been a powerful advocate for collaborative, tool-driven research and for increasing diversity within the scientific community.

Category:American neuroscientists Category:American geneticists Category:Living people Category:Wolf Prize in Medicine laureates