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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
‘Cognitive flexibility’ linked to EU referendum voting attitudes
A new study, led by a Gates Cambridge Scholar, suggests that the way our brains process everyday information helps to shape our ideological beliefs and political decision-making – including attitudes towards the UK’s 2016 EU Referendum. Scientists from the University of Cambridge combined objective cognitive tests with questionnaires designed to gauge social and political attitudes in […]
Gates Cambridge Class of 2018 announced
Ninety-two of the most academically exceptional and socially committed people from across the globe have been selected as Gates Cambridge Scholars – the University of Cambridge’s most prestigious international postgraduate scholarship. The new Scholars, who will take up their generous scholarships in the autumn, are a very diverse group, representing 28 nationalities. Forty three are […]
The devil in the detail
One of Maximilian Stammnitz’s best memories at Cambridge has been his encounter with Tasmanian devils on a field trip to Tasmania in 2016. “There is nothing more exciting than examining actual devils in the wild – they are truly majestic animals!” he says. A major paper, on which he is first author, is published today […]
Human drugs could treat transmissible cancers in Tasmanian devils
Transmissible cancers are incredibly rare in nature, yet have arisen in Tasmanian devils on at least two separate occasions. A new research paper, on which Gates Cambridge Scholar Maximilian Stammnitz is first author, identifies key anti-cancer drugs which could be trialled as a treatment for these diseases, which are threatening Tasmanian devils with extinction. The […]
Gates Cambridge at the Hay Festival
Three Gates Cambridge Scholars are speaking at a prestigious literary festival in May. Ella McPherson [2004], who did a PhD in Social and Political Science and is currently Co-Director of the Centre of Governance and Human Rights at the University of Cambridge, and Sarah Nouwen [2005], Co-Deputy Director of the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law, are […]
The science of flavonoids
It has been established for some time that eating fruit and vegetables is good for your health and can protect people from a range of illnesses, including some forms of cancer. However, the way they do this is little understood. Vaithish Velazhahan’s research seeks to establish how flavonoids – a diverse group of phytonutrients (plant chemicals) found in […]
Global Scholars Symposium opens for applications
This year’s Global Scholars Symposium (GSS) will feature keynote addresses by the former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict. The Symposium, which takes place from 11th to 13th May, has become an annual event ever since it was first set up by […]
The history of food
How do eating habits change through history? Why do we eat what we eat? And what is the impact when a community’s traditional food stocks collapse? Emelyn Rude [2018] is fascinated by the history of food. Her PhD, which she begins in the autumn, will focus on how past fish stock collapses have impacted national […]
A day of engagement
Sixty Gates Cambridge Scholars took part in this year’s Day of Engagement in early March. Joined by five guests, they worked with six local and two international charities on 11 different projects. The charities involved included Bounce! which works with disadvantaged children, Romsey Mill which creates opportunities for change with young people, children and families […]
Scholar wins Chemistry prize at British Parliament
Gates Cambridge Scholar Michelle Teplensky won a Silver Award at the STEM for BRITAIN event at the UK Parliament on Monday. STEM for BRITAIN aims to encourage, support and promote Britain’s early-stage and early-career research scientists, engineers, technologists and mathematicians. It gives scientists the chance to go to Parliament and be in the company of MPs, policymakers and key figures […]
