Joshua Sanes
Director, Center for Brain Neuroscience
B.S., Biochemistry and Psychology, Yale University
M.S., Ph.D., Neurobiology, Harvard University
A renowned neurobiologist, Joshua Sanes focuses on the formation of synapses, the specialized connections between nerve cells, from developmental and molecular perspectives. Using mouse genetics and the latest live imaging technologies, Sanes identified many of the molecules and signals that stimulate synapse development and dictate how long they will last. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2002.
Sanes serves on the editorial boards of the journals Cell, Journal of Cell Biology, and Neuron. From 1999 to 2003, he served on the National Advisory Council for National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health. He is currently the chair of the Scientific Advisory Boards for the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology in Munich and the Searle Scholars Program. Additionally, Sanes serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
After completing a masters and doctoral degree at Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and psychology at Yale University, Sanes trained with Zach Hall, Ph.D., in the Department of Physiology at the University of California, San Francisco. Prior to joining Harvard University, Sanes was the Alumni Endowed Professor of Neurobiology in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at Washington University School of Medicine. Sanes has been a member of the Stowers Scientific Advisory Board since 2006.
