Abu Dhabi, UAE: Professor of Biology at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) Claude Desplan has received the 2020 Edwin G. Conklin Medal in the field of Developmental Biology.
Presented by the Society for Developmental Biology, the Edwin G. Conklin Medal, established in 1995 and awarded annually, recognizes a developmental biologist for continuously making extraordinary research contributions, and for being an excellent mentor who has helped train the next generation of outstanding scientists.
Desplan studies how the brain develops, and in particular how the many different types of neurons acquire their distinct properties and connect to each other to form neural circuits. He focuses his attention on the visual system that processes information coming from the eye and guides behavioral responses. His work has shown that neural stem cells produce different neurons over time ,thus allowing the brain to form is an ordered manner. He is also studying how the mechanisms uncovered evolve in different species to allow them to adapt to their environment.
“As scientists, we do want our work to be recognized, especially when it is basic research that does not receive attention from the media. This medal is given by the board of the scientific society of developmental biology and recognition by the pairs is the most gratifying. This will also reflect on present and past lab members in New York and in Abu Dhabi who have contributed to the success of the lab,” Desplan commented.
Also a Silver Professor at NYU New York, Desplan is a geneticist who spent his scientific life analyzing molecular and genetic mechanisms controlling cell fate decisions and their evolution. He pursued his PhD in France and his postdoctoral studies at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). His research focuses on the molecular mechanisms that pattern Drosophila photoreceptors responsible for color vision, the complex transcription factor network that controls the specification of the various types of photoreceptors, and how color information is processed in the optic lobes by investigating their development and function, among others.
Desplan serves on multiple scientific advisory boards and funding agencies. He is an elected member of the US National Academy of Sciences, an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, an elected foreign member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), and an elected fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences.
-Ends-
About NYU Abu Dhabi
NYU Abu Dhabi is the first comprehensive liberal arts and science campus in the Middle East to be operated abroad by a major American research university. NYU Abu Dhabi has integrated a highly-selective liberal arts, engineering and science curriculum with a world center for advanced research and scholarship enabling its students to succeed in an increasingly interdependent world and advance cooperation and progress on humanity’s shared challenges. NYU Abu Dhabi’s high-achieving students have come from more than 115 nations and speak over 115 languages. Together, NYU's campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai form the backbone of a unique global university, giving faculty and students opportunities to experience varied learning environments and immersion in other cultures at one or more of the numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on six continents.
Media Contact:
Maha Ayash
Four Communications
NYUAD@fourcommunications.com
+971 55 178 3906
Disclaimer: The contents of this press release was provided from an external third party provider. This website is not responsible for, and does not control, such external content. This content is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis and has not been edited in any way. Neither this website nor our affiliates guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions expressed in this press release.
The press release is provided for informational purposes only. The content does not provide tax, legal or investment advice or opinion regarding the suitability, value or profitability of any particular security, portfolio or investment strategy. Neither this website nor our affiliates shall be liable for any errors or inaccuracies in the content, or for any actions taken by you in reliance thereon. You expressly agree that your use of the information within this article is at your sole risk.
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, this website, its parent company, its subsidiaries, its affiliates and the respective shareholders, directors, officers, employees, agents, advertisers, content providers and licensors will not be liable (jointly or severally) to you for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, incidental, punitive or exemplary damages, including without limitation, lost profits, lost savings and lost revenues, whether in negligence, tort, contract or any other theory of liability, even if the parties have been advised of the possibility or could have foreseen any such damages.
