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BEN BARRES

Neurobiologist

IMAGE SOURCE: STANFORD SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Ben Barres (1954-2017) was a neurobiologist who advocated for gender equality in science.

FAST FACTS:

  • Became the first openly transgender member elected to the US National Academy of Sciences (an organization that includes many leading US scientists)
  • Worked at Stanford University 
  • Revolutionized the understanding of the human brain by working on a type of brain cell called glia
  • Made many discoveries on how synapses form in developing brains, which lead him to the glial cell
  • Transitioned in 1997 at the age of 43
  • He devoted most of his last decades describing the challenges he faced as a woman in science and provided ways to correct the system that is biased against women and minorities. 
  • He, like many of us, was a big Harry Potter fan

To learn more about Ben Barres check out the links below:

  • https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-017-08964-1
  • https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07109-2
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