2023 SfN Election Results: Meet Your New Leaders
The Society for Neuroscience extends congratulations to its newly elected officers and councilors. The incoming leaders will begin their terms at Neuroscience 2023 in Washington, D.C.
The membership elected John H. Morrison as incoming president-elect, Cheryl L. Sisk as incoming treasurer-elect, and Katherine W. Roche as incoming secretary-elect. The elected councilors are Yukiko Goda from Japan and Raúl G. Paredes from Mexico. In accordance with the Resolutions to the Bylaws, Roche’s current seat as a Councilor will be vacated when she begins her term as Secretary-elect. Appointed by the President to fill Roche’s seat as Councilor for a one-year term is Sumantra “Shona” Chattarji, Director of CHINTA, TCG Centers for Research & Education in Science & Technology in Kolkata, India.
Incoming President-Elect: John Morrison
John Morrison is the director of the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC), professor of Neurology, and distinguished professor at the University of California Davis. He received his PhD from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Morrison’s research focuses on the neurobiology of aging and neurodegenerative disorders, particularly as they relate to cellular and synaptic organization of cerebral cortex.
Morrison has been a member of SfN for over 45 years and has served as: secretary; councilor; editor-in-chief of BrainFacts.org; and lead scientist on the SfN/Artechouse collaboration Life of a Neuron. He has been chair of the Committee on Committees, Public Education & Communication Committee, Government & Public Affairs Committee, and Committee on Animals in Research, and has served on numerous working groups. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the National Academy of Medicine.
Reflecting on his upcoming term, Morrison said:
“It is a great honor to serve as president of SfN. The field of neuroscience continues to be an ever-expanding “large tent,” and as president I will continue to invite a broad and diverse group of scientists to join us in our efforts to understand the nervous system and its devastating disorders. It is a particularly challenging yet exciting time for our trainees, and we will continue to pay particular attention to their needs. Educating the public and policymakers on neuroscience has never been more important, and as president I will expand SfN’s very successful role in public outreach. Please let me know your thoughts.”
Incoming Treasurer-Elect: Cheryl Sisk
Cheryl Sisk is a university distinguished professor in the Neuroscience Program and Department of Psychology at Michigan State University. She earned her PhD at Florida State University, Tallahassee. Sisk’s research program is focused on how gonadal steroid hormones shape neural and behavioral developmental trajectories during puberty and adolescence.
Sisk has been a member of SfN for over 45 years and has served as a member of the Finance Committee, Neuroscience Training Committee, Committee on Neuroscience Departments and Programs, and Membership & Chapters Committee. She is a member of the Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology.
Incoming Secretary-Elect: Katherine Roche
Katherine Roche is a senior investigator in the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Intramural Program, as well as the interim training director for NINDS. She received her PhD from Johns Hopkins University. Roche’s research program has investigated the plasticity of excitatory synapses focusing on localization and regulation of synaptic proteins, with a recent focus on studying rare variants in postsynaptic proteins implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders.
Roche has been an SfN member for over 30 years. She has served as councilor, chair of the Audit Committee, and member of the Program Committee. She is a member of the International Society for Neurochemistry and serves on both the CureGRIN Scientific Advisory Board and the Molecular Psychiatry Association Board.
Incoming Councilor: Yukiko Goda
Yukiko Goda is a professor in the Synapse Biology Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Japan. She earned her PhD from Stanford University. Her research focuses on the basic design principles of synapses, particularly how synaptic circuits are made and how they operate to ensure the optimal performance of brain functions; this includes clarifying the role of glial cells.
Goda is a 20-year member of SfN and has served as a member of the Scientific Publications Committee and Program Committee. She is a member of the ALBA Network, Biophysical Society of Japan, Japan Neuroscience Society, International Society for Neurochemistry, and American Society for Cell Biology.
Incoming Councilor: Raúl Paredes
Raúl Paredes is the director of the National School of Higher Studies (ENES), Juriquilla Campus, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). He earned his PhD from UNAM. Paredes’ research centers on brain plasticity and the neural control of motivated behaviors.
Paredes has been a member of SfN for over 30 years and has served on the Professional Development Committee and Neuroscience Scholars Program Selection Committee. He is a member of the Society of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Mexican Society of Physiological Sciences, and Academy of Research in Biology of Reproduction.
Incoming Councilor: Sumantra “Shona” Chattarji Sumantra
“Shona” Chattarji is the founding director of CHINTA, a new research center for translational neuroscience at the TCG Centers for Research & Education in Science and Technology, India. He earned his PhD from Johns Hopkins University and the Salk Institute. Chattarji’s research centers on the neural mechanisms of stress and autism spectrum disorders, using rodent models and human stem cells.
Chattarji has been a member of SfN for 35 years and has served as a member of the Committee on Animals in Research, Professional Development Committee, and International Affairs Committee. He is a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Science and serves on the Strategic Advisory Board of the Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain at the University of Edinburgh.
