Eve Marder, Victor and Gwendolyn Beinfield Professor of Biology at Brandeis University, is known for her pioneering work on small neuronal networks, which her team has interrogated via a combination of complementary experimental and theoretical techniques.
Eve is particularly well known for her work in the crustacean stomatogastric nervous system (STNS), a small network of 30 neurons. She discovered that circuits are not “hard-wired” to produce a single output or behaviour, but can be reconfigured by neuromodulators to produce many outputs and behaviours while still maintaining the integrity of the circuit. Her work has revolutionised the way scientists approach the studies of neural circuits with respect to the study of structural and functional behavior. The general principles that have resulted from her work are thought to be generally applicable to other neural networks, including those in humans.
Eve has received numerous awards for her pioneering work in the field including the National Medal of Science in 2023 and the Kavli Prize in 2016. She was also recognized as an outstanding woman scientist and was awarded the Pearl Meister Greengard Prize in 2023. In 2024, she was elected to the American Philosophical Society. She is also a member of the Institute of Medicine and National Academy of Sciences.
