Bianca Jones Marlin

Bianca Jones Marlin is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Freeman Hrabowski Scholar and Herbert and Florence Irving Assistant Professor of Cell Research at Columbia University's Zuckerman Institute. Her research investigates how organisms unlock innate behaviors at appropriate times, and how learned information is passed to subsequent generations via intergenerational epigenetic inheritance. The Marlin Lab combines molecular genetics, neural imaging, and behavior to uncover the mechanisms by which learning and emotion are biologically transmitted from neurons of the parent to neurons of their offspring — providing insight into how learned behavior in the parent can become innate in the offspring.

Prior to joining the faculty at Columbia, Dr. Marlin completed her postdoctoral work under the mentorship of Nobel Laureate, Dr. Richard Axel, where she investigated how trauma experienced by parents affects the brain structure and sensory experience of their future offspring. Dr. Marlin received her PhD from New York University working in the lab of Dr. Robert Froemke, where she examined how the brain adapts to care for a newborn, specifically the role of the neuropeptide oxytocin in maternal behavior. She has dual bachelor's degrees in biology and adolescent education from St. John's University. To learn more visit here.

Talk title: Nature, nurture and the neuroscience of parenthood