Cori Bargmann receives Gruber Neuroscience Prize

Cori Bargmann

The 2024 Gruber Neuroscience Prize is being awarded to Cori Bargmann, Rockefeller’s Torsten N. Wiesel Professor, head of the Lulu and Anthony Wang Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior, and vice president for academic affairs.

Bargmann is sharing the  honor with Gerald Rubin, of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus. Both are being recognized for their pioneering work elucidating the organization of circuits in behavior, and for developing new genetic tools, which have advanced the field of neuroscience.

“The work performed by Bargmann and Rubin has advanced the field of neuroscience in multiple ways,” says Frances Jensen of the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, and chair of the selection advisory board to the prize. “This includes the work they have done that has offered insight into the question of the link between biology and behavior, as well as their generosity in creating and sharing tools that have helped move the field forward, by offering new capabilities for carrying out research accessible to a wide range of institutions. Their impact on the field cannot be understated.”

Bargmann is specifically being recognized for her role in linking genetics with behavior, which includes identifying the first odorant receptor, and linking this receptor to a specific innate behavior. These early discoveries were then followed up with experiments looking at the link between environmental cues, genetic variation, and flexible behaviors that have provided insights into the genetic basis of behavior.

The Gruber Neuroscience Prize, which includes a $500,000 award, will be presented to Bargmann and Rubin on October 6 at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Chicago.

She will become the third Rockefeller scientist to receive this prestigious honor. Michael W. Young received this prize in 2009, followed by former Rockefeller President, Marc Tessier-Lavigne, in 2020.