Director
Leslie B Vosshall is a molecular neurobiologist who studies how behaviors emerge from the integration of sensory input with internal physiological states. She is the Robin Chemers Neustein Professor, Head of the Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior, Director of the Kavli Neural Systems Institute at The Rockefeller University, and an HHMI investigator. Vosshall is known for her work on the genetic basis of chemosensory behavior. Her notable contributions to science include the discovery of the insect odorant receptors, and the elucidation of general principles of their function, expression, and their connectivity to primary processing centers in the brain. Her group studies the molecular neurobiology of host-seeking and blood-feeding in mosquitoes that spread dangerous infectious diseases. She is the recipient of the 2020 National Academy of Sciences Pradel Research Award, the 2020 Alden W. Spencer Award, an elected fellow of AAAS, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.