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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
A critical eye on Pakistan
Two scholars have set up a research cluster on Pakistan to explore innovative and critical scholarship on the country. Gates Cambridge Scholar Arif Naveed [2014] and Cambridge International Trust Scholar Mahvish Ahmad have established the ‘Critical Pakistan at Cambridge ‘Research Cluster, based initially at the Centre for South Asia Studies with membership from across the […]
Investigating the links between mental healthcare and poverty
Saloni Atal is determined to improve the availability of mental healthcare for women in the poorest communities of India. “Mental healthcare doesn’t get the attention it needs,” she says. “We do not tend to think mental health problems can cause suffering in the same way that illnesses like AIDS can. Years of productivity can also be lost. The […]
Empowering women in science
Sandile Mtetwa faced more potential hurdles to her education than many, but she has risen to the challenge. Sandile [2017], who is from Harare, Zimbabwe, fell pregnant before she started her university studies, but has not only set up a project aimed at empowering other young women, but gone on to be accepted onto a […]
Scholar selected as NASA astronaut candidate
Gates Cambridge Scholar Kayla Barron has been selected by NASA to join the 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class and will report for duty in August 2017. Kayla [2010], who did an MPhil in Nuclear Engineering at the University of Cambridge after doing her undergraduate training at the US Naval Academy, worked as a Submarine Warfare Officer […]
Campaign launched against ‘exploitative academic publishing system’
Researchers need to stop exploiting themselves and discriminating against who can access their research, according to a new paper which launches a campaign to change academic culture. The article, We can shift academic culture through publishing choices, which is published on F1000Research, is by Corina Logan, a Gates Cambridge Scholar and Leverhulme Early Career Research […]
Connecting Caribbean students to mentors
A Gates Cambridge Scholar has launched a mentorship programme for Caribbean students to give them the information and support they need to pursue their chosen careers. Jerelle Joseph [2014] launched the non-profit organisation CariScholar last month. It aims to connect Caribbean students with appropriate academics and professionals who can give them guidance and advice. Jerelle […]
Exploring the role of religion in development
Hosna Jahan [2013] grew up travelling between Bangladesh and Australia. It made her question why policies that worked in some countries didn’t work in others and focus on addressing issues of social justice. She says: “I grew up seeing poverty at first hand. You can either see these things as natural or tragic. I travelled […]
The Hemlock Transcripts
There is a lot to learn about the end of life from those who are dying. Unfortunately, the knowledge of these experiences is often lost because most people don’t like talking about death. Yet, we don’t have to talk; we just have to listen. Voluntary death has played a dynamic role in the Western world. […]
Africa Together 2017
The fourth annual ‘Africa Together’ conference will be held on 10th June in commemoration of the 2017 Africa Day with the participation of several Gates Cambridge Scholars. The conference is hosted by African Society of Cambridge University, whose president is Gates Cambridge Scholar Harum Mukhayer. Previous presidents of the Society have included two Gates Cambridge Scholars – Njoki […]
Celebrating research innovation
Gates Cambridge Scholars took part in the second Day of Research last week – a day of panel discussions and presentations on subjects ranging from neuroimaging markers in dementia to the history of the Panama Canal. The day consisted of 12 oral presentations and discussions about topics such as big data in politics and gender […]
