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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
Critical leadership crucial for global health
One of the greatest challenges facing the world in the next decade will be developing critical, inspiring leaders of global organisations, Jeremy Farrar, Head of the Wellcome Trust, told a debate on global health challenges last night. Farrar was speaking at the Global health in an era of austerity, conflict and climate change: defining achievable […]
Dual approach to genetic disorder
Researchers have identified a potential dual-pronged approach to treating Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) disease, a rare but devastating genetic disorder. The research, based on studies of human nerve and liver cells grown from patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), is co-authored by Gates Cambridge Alumnus Sovan Sarkar and published in the journal Stem Cell Reports. […]
Social networks important for take-up of best services for autistic children
The social networks of parents who have children on the autism spectrum play a significant role in whether they access the best services available, according to new research. The research, conducted by Gates Cambridge Alumna Katherine Pickard, is published in Clinical Psychological Science. Despite research that has documented the types of services that are being […]
Five Scholars to speak at Annual Symposium
Five Gates Cambridge Scholars will discuss their research, covering gender and sexuality in Mozart, pregnancy diabetes, the foundations of complex systems, conflict and cooperation between ancient Greece and Thrace and the new post-Higgs Boson era in physics at this week’s special Scholars’ Symposium. The presentations will be made on Thursday at the Annual Symposium with […]
Getting consensus on conservation
How can local communities be trained and supported effectively in conservation activities which may impact on their livelihoods? Herimanitra Patrick Rafidimanantsoa, the first Gates Cambridge Scholar from Madagascar, says he has seen at first hand the problems created by not getting local communities on board with environmental campaigns. He worked for two years as environmental […]
Tackling everyday sexism
Just days after the airing new BBC2 Television programme “Blurred Lines: the New Battle of the Sexes” and the launch of the international reproductive rights campaign “I decide”, the founder of the Everyday Sexism Project Laura Bates will discuss the impact of sexism in society with 150 of the world’s brightest students at the Global […]
Global health challenges in an era of austerity
Global public health experts will speak about the challenges posed by austerity and climate change at an event organised by Gates Cambridge Trust and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation next week. The event, Global health in an era of austerity, conflict and climate change: defining achievable goals, will take place at the Royal Society in […]
Environmental executive
Gates Cambridge Alumna Kate Brandt has been appointed by President Obama to serve as the US Government’s Federal Environmental Executive. Kate [2007], who did an MPhil in International Relations, will be responsible for promoting environmental and energy sustainability across Federal Government operations, including 500,000 buildings, 600,000 vehicles, and $500 billion annually in purchased goods and […]
Community spirit
Jerry Lee [2013] wanted to get involved in community work with homeless people when he arrived in Cambridge. However, as an international student, he faced several barriers to volunteering. Instead of giving up, he joined forces with two other Gates Cambridge Scholars, Musa Chunge [2013] and Mohammad Usman [2013], and they decided to start up […]
The mystery of language evolution
The most fundamental questions about the origins and evolution of humans’ linguistic capacity remain as mysterious as ever, despite many hypotheses, according to a new study. The article, The mystery of language evolution, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, has been co-authored by Gates Cambridge Scholar Jeffrey Watumull [2010] and other linguistics experts including […]
