neuroscientist Jeff Richtman was appointed as Dean of Science on July 1st. hopi hoekstraEdgley Family Dean of Arts and Sciences.
Lichtman, Professor Jeremy R. Knowles molecular cell biologyis a pioneering experimental neuroscientist who uses electron microscopy and computational reconstruction to study neural connections in the mammalian brain. One of his main research goals is to generate a complete map of the brain’s complex connectivity pathways.
“I am excited to welcome Jeff to this new role and have him advance the extraordinary potential of our academic community,” Hoekstra said in a message to the FAS community.
A member of the faculty since 2004, Lichtman said his strong desire for a prosperous and growth-oriented scientific enterprise at Harvard, as well as his personal and professional commitment to Harvard, were the driving forces behind his decision to assume the leadership role. He said it became.
“I’m grateful for this opportunity,” he said. “Of course it’s a nice challenge, but I like hard work.”
Lichtman is Brain Science Center, a university-wide coalition of researchers seeking new insights into neural circuits and how they translate into thought and behavior. One of Lichtman’s research interests is studying how the mammalian brain is rewired during postnatal learning. This phenomenon explains why young people can learn complex tasks faster than adults.
To answer these questions, Lichtman and his colleagues developed visualization techniques to monitor neural connections and how they change over time. One of their inventions, the “Brainbow” method, uses fluorescent proteins in the brains of transgenic mice to distinguish individual neurons from each other.
Recently, Lichtman partnered In collaboration with colleagues in computational neuroscience at Google, MIT, Princeton, and elsewhere, we are focused on the watershed challenge of creating a synaptic-level wiring diagram of the entire mammalian brain. In this and other work, he brings together researchers in the life sciences, physical sciences, computer science and engineering.
Beyond his own research program, Lichtman Harvard University Biological Imaging Center He is also a member of the steering committee of the Brain Science Center. Mind-Brain Behavior Interfaculty Initiativeand the Harvard Brain Science Initiative. He is also Director of Undergraduate Research in Neuroscience and Chair of the Curriculum Committee in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology.
Lichtman came to Harvard after 30 years at Washington University in St. Louis, where he earned his M.D. and Ph.D. Works (1980). He received his bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College.
He succeeds experimental physicist Christopher Stubbs, the Samuel C. Moncher Professor of Physics and Astronomy, who took over the role as dean in 2018 after an interim term. Mr. Stubbs will continue to take a leadership role at FAS as Mr. Hoekstra’s special advisor on artificial intelligence.
“Chris Stubbs has been an outspoken champion of the department and a highly effective leader of FAS efforts from pandemic scenario planning to educational responses to AI, and has been generous and supportive during my time as dean.” He was a great partner,” Hoekstra said.
Lichtman also reflected on the changing landscape of scientific research and education in the era of instant answers generated by AI. “Thinking about our educational mission, as dean, I am not just looking at how to more effectively communicate the explosion of scientific knowledge to our students, but also how to educate them about the essential importance of learning scientific knowledge. “We want to explore how we can better inculcate. Ask questions that don’t yet have satisfactory answers,” he said.
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