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Benjamin Cocanougher
- Alumni
- United States
- 2016 PhD Zoology
- St Catharine's College
I grew up catching praying mantises and damselflies in rural Kentucky. As an undergraduate at Centre College, I majored in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; I spent my summers taking care of sick children at the Center for Courageous Kids and doing research in organic chemistry and neuroscience. I matriculated directly to the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and completed my first three years of medical school. I then moved to Janelia Research Campus as a HHMI Medical Research Fellow; there I studied the neural and genetic bases of behavior. As a PhD student in Zoology, I will study adaptive behavior. All animals integrate information about past experience into future decisions; this is the basis of learning and memory. I am proposing to write a specific memory and read the memory trace in the brain. I will use the fruit fly as a model organism. By understanding mechanisms of memory storage, we can begin to investigate changes in memory formation in disease; this may allow us to develop rational therapies for disorders of memory formation, including autism and Alzheimer’s disease. After completing my PhD, I will return to finish my last year of medical school and pursue a career as a child neurologist and neuroscientist, using my lab to better understand the patients I see in clinic.
Previous Education
Centre College
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Latest News
Sugarcane: a Q & A with Emily Kassie
Gates Cambridge Scholar Emily Kassie spoke about her award-winning documentary film Sugarcane at a screening in Cambridge this week. Sugarcane won the US Documentary Directing Award at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year for its investigation into systematic abuse at an Indian residential school in Canada. Emily co-directed and co-produced the film which is a searing documentary […]
Celebrating the natural world
A new seven-part natural history series will explore the wildlife of our planet’s largest continent, covering the length and breadth of Asia and highlighting dramatic, previously unseen behaviour. Presented by Sir David Attenborough, the series, which is due out shortly, will also feature the work of Gates Cambridge Scholar Alex Vail, researcher-turned-wildlife-cinematographer. Filmed over the […]
Digital twin project finalist for AI Innovation Award
An interactive and immersive digital twin project for real time monitoring of buildings was a finalist for the AI Innovation Award at the UK National AI Awards. The project used state-of-the-art virtual and augmented reality systems and followed a user-centred design process to develop multimodal interaction with an Augmented Reality or Virtual Reality system. Gates […]
Exclusive screening of award-winning film Sugarcane
Gates Cambridge Scholar Emily Kassie will be screening and speaking about her award-winning documentary film Sugarcane in Cambridge next week. Sugarcane won the US Documentary Directing Award at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year for its investigation into systematic abuse at an Indian residential school in Canada. Emily co-directed and co-produced the film which […]
Study highlights misperceptions about carbon footprint of richest
The personal carbon footprint of the richest people in society is grossly underestimated, both by the rich themselves and by those on middle and lower incomes, no matter which country they come from, according to a new study co-authored by two Gates Cambridge Scholars. At the same time, the study found that both the rich […]
Book celebrates 50th anniversary of Cambridge’s Genizah Research Unit
This October sees the publication of the first illustrated introduction to the unique collections of Cairo Genizah manuscripts at Cambridge University Library, revealing the forgotten stories of Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities at the centre of a millennium of world history. The coffee table book, co-authored by Gates Cambridge Scholar Nick Posegay [2017] and Melonie Schmierer-Lee, […]
25 for 25
The Gates Cambridge Trust will be celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025 by offering an additional 25 postgraduate scholarships for our Class of 2025. The 25th anniversary celebrations start next year and will kick off with our Impact Prize ceremony in January which will highlight the far-reaching impact of existiung Gates Cambridge Scholars and look […]
Gates Cambridge Impact Prize launched
Nominations for the Gates Cambridge Impact Prize 2025 open today [15th August] in celebration of the Scholarship’s 25th anniversary celebrations. Five award winners will receive £5,000 and be invited to participate in our 2025 anniversary events to highlight the impact their work has had on society. The prize defines impact as a demonstrable contribution to change in various fields, including the […]
How can we improve healthcare for all?
Three Gates Cambridge Scholars discuss various ways to improve healthcare for all in the final episode of the first series of the So, now what? Podcast. Victor Roy, Johanna Riha and Sabrina Anjara focus on issues such as gender inequities, mental health and access to medicine. They emphasise the importance of investing in women’s health […]
Scholar joins Wigan Athletic Women’s Football team
A Gates Cambridge Scholar has been selected to play for Wigan Athletic’s first women’s football team. Sara Merican is one of 15 players signed by the club. The team were accepted into the Championship division of Lancashire Women’s County League following a successful AGM meeting on 17th July. Sara [2022], who did her MPhil in […]
