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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
‘Weak institutions to blame for lack of growth in Middle East’
A new book which addresses how Arab countries can escape a “resource curse” in which oil and gas riches don’t translate into long-term economic growth and stability has been co-edited by Gates Cambridge Scholar Kamiar Mohaddes and is being launched at an event next week. The Arab region that includes the six Gulf Cooperation Council […]
Punjab education reforms ‘not cream-skimming’
An important reform brought in by Pakistan’s most populous province which aims to get more children into education is reaching the more disadvantaged districts, according to an important new study on access. The study of Public Private Partnership (PPP) schools in Punjab, by Gates Cambridge Scholar Ali Ansari, is thought to be the first to […]
Festival exhibition celebrates Mexico’s displaced populations
A Gates Cambridge Scholar is co-curating an Altar of the Dead exhibition at this year’s Cambridge Festival of Ideas to rise awareness about past and present migrants and minorities in Mexico. Jessica Fernández de Lara Harada [2016], who is doing a PhD in Latin American Studies, is curating the event at the University of Cambridge’s Museum […]
Understanding hereditary spastic paraplegia
Eliska Zlamalova’s research combines neuroscience and molecular genetics as she seeks to understand the cause of a progressive genetic disorder which causes paralysis of the lower limbs. At the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Medical Research, she is working on a project looking into hereditary spastic paraplegia, a general term for a group of rare […]
Alumni weekend highlights health and community
Gates Cambridge alumni gathered in New York City earlier this month to explore a diverse range of research and work connecting health, community and the arts. The weekend gathering took place from 4-6 October and included a Gates Cambridge Alumni Symposium at New York University and the second annual Gates Cambridge Memorial Lecture, given by Leana Wen, […]
Provost begins term as president of The Society for Neuroscience
Gates Cambridge Provost Professor Barry Everitt will begin his term as The Society for Neuroscience’s new President later this month during Neuroscience 2019. In addition to his role at the Gates Cambridge Trust, Professor Everitt is also Director of Research, emeritus Professor of Behavioural Neuroscience in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge and a […]
Creating a global network for change
Since leaving the University of Cambridge Robyn Scott has led a series of inspiring social enterprises which aim to bring the brightest minds together to find solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges – echoing the mission of Gates Cambridge. For the last three years she has led Apolitical, a peer to peer […]
New research sheds light on the mechanisms of consciousness in the human brain
The drive to understand consciousness, and how mind arises from matter, is an ancient philosophical conundrum, popularised by philosophers such as Aristotle and Descartes. However, as our scientific understanding of the brain mechanisms of consciousness improves, it may also lead to improved clinical care for patients with disorders of consciousness, and patients who need general […]
Scholars to speak at 2019 Cambridge Festival of Ideas
Several Gates Cambridge Scholars are taking part in this year’s Cambridge Festival of Ideas which starts next week. The Festival runs from 14th to 27th October and celebrates the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences with over 270, mostly free, events. This year’s theme is change and participants include feminist campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez, MPs David Lammy […]
Celebrating Black History Month
October is Black History Month and Gates Cambridge Scholars have organised a raft of events to celebrate and raise awareness, ranging from speed mentoring sessions to a Black History Month Comedy Night and a panel discussion on anti-colonial research and activism. The events, most of which are internal Gates Cambridge events, kick off on 17th […]
