Prof. Eve Marder '69 (BIOL) has been honored by the Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation, which awarded her its 2013 Prize in Neuroscience.

According to its website, the Gruber Foundation, which "honors and encourages educational excellence" in neuroscience, cosmology, genetics, justice and women's rights, began its International Prize Program in 2000 in cosmology. Eventually the program was expanded, and in 2004, awarded its first prize in neuroscience. The award includes a monetary prize of $500,000.

Marder, who has been a Brandeis faculty member since 1978, has been widely recognized for her work in the field of neuroscience. In 2012, she was awarded both the George A. Miller Prize in Cognitive Neuroscience and the Karl Spencer Lashley Award. Earlier this year, she was named to the advisory board of Brain Research through Advancing Innovating Neurotechnologies, the initiative created by President Barack Obama.

"It is obviously a great honor to receive an award such as the Gruber Prize," wrote Marder in an email to the Justice. "There are so many talented neuroscientist[s] in the field that it makes it that much more special to receive this kind of recognition."

Marder's research examines the neural circuits of crustaceans to understand how these networks are modified, and how their functions vary in different animals or over time. Marder's lab looks at central pattern generators, which produce "specific rhythmic behaviors such as walking, swimming, and breathing" according to its website.

This is not the first time a Brandeis professor has been recognized by the Grubers. Last year, Prof. Michael Rosbash (BIOL) was named the first Peter Gruber Endowed Chair of Neuroscience for his work in understanding circadian rhythms.

"It is a tremendously exciting time for the study of the brain," wrote Marder. "The next 5-10 years should bring important insights into the molecular and cellular mechanisms that govern the organization and function of brain circuits.  This, in turn, should help us understand what changes in the brain cause an individual to cross the boundaries between healthy brain function and disease."

-Sara Dejene