2026 Ceremony

Pearl Meister Greengard Prize

PEARL MEISTER GREENGARD PRIZE

An International Award Recognizing Outstanding Women in Biomedical Research
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2026
5:45 – 6:30 PM Reception
6:30 – 7:30 PM Ceremony and Lecture
Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Hall
The Rockefeller University
1230 York Avenue at East 66th Street
New York, NY 10065

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2026 PRIZE RECIPIENT

Catherine Dulac, Ph.D.

Xander University Professor
Harvard University
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

PRIZE PRESENTER

Paula Zahn

Journalist and Newscaster

PEARL MEISTER GREENGARD PRIZE LECTURE BY DR. DULAC

The Neurobiology of Social and Sickness Behavior

Catherine Dulac, Ph.D.

Catherine Dulac, Ph.D.

Catherine Dulac is recognized for her groundbreaking research on the neurobiology of social behavior, which has led to fundamental discoveries in mouse models that resonate with our understanding of human emotions and interpersonal interactions. Early in her career, she focused on pheromones, chemical signals triggering innate behaviors that were not extensively studied in mammals. Her experiments showed that inputs to mammalian pheromone receptors are essential for typically sex-specific behaviors associated with mating, parenting, and aggression. More recently, she and her colleagues reported surprising findings on behaviors associated with sickness, elucidating the brain’s integral role in producing what we experience as illness-related changes in appetite, energy, and sleep, as well as social engagement and withdrawal. And just last year, the Dulac lab identified populations of “loneliness” neurons that are involved in the need for social contact.

Dr. Dulac grew up in Montpellier, France, graduated from the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, and earned her Ph.D. from the University of Paris VI in 1992. She completed postdoctoral training at Columbia University before joining the faculty of Harvard University in 1996. Dr. Dulac was chair of Harvard’s Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology from 2007 to 2013. She is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the French Academy of Sciences, and was designated an Officer of the Legion d’Honneur by the French government in 2022.

Paula Zahn

Paula Zahn
Paula Zahn is a ten-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, television anchor, and executive producer whose distinguished career spans more than three decades at the forefront of broadcast news. She is the executive producer and host of On the Case with Paula Zahn, the acclaimed investigative crime series, and has also hosted NYC-Arts, a weekly arts and culture showcase. Ms. Zahn has anchored programs for ABC News, CBS News, Fox News, and CNN, where she led coverage of many of the nation’s most significant stories and interviewed world leaders, policymakers, and newsmakers. She is also an accomplished cellist who has performed with renowned musicians in world-class venues, including Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, and notable venues in St. Petersburg, Russia, and Seoul, South Korea. Ms. Zahn is a long-time advocate for women’s health and serves on the Board of Governors of the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation.

The Pearl Meister Greengard Prize, awarded annually by Rockefeller University, was established by the late Dr. Paul Greengard, who served as the university’s Vincent Astor Professor, and his wife, the sculptor Ursula von Rydingsvard. Dr. Greengard donated his monetary share of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Medicine to Rockefeller and, in partnership with generous supporters of the university, created this major international prize. The prize is named in memory of Dr. Greengard’s mother, who died giving birth to him. An exhibit honoring the recipients and presenters of the Pearl Meister Greengard Prize was installed at Rockefeller University in 2021.