MCB’s Catherine Dulac, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and renowned neuroscientist, has been appointed the Xander University Professor. Four Harvard scholars were recognized with appointments as University Professors, the highest distinction a faculty member can receive at the University.
The title of University Professor was created in 1935 to honor individuals whose groundbreaking work crosses disciplinary boundaries, allowing them to pursue research across any of Harvard’s Schools. Dulac, who was most recently the Samuel W. Morris University Professor, succeeds Douglas Melton as the Xander University Professor, who remains at Harvard as Catalyst Professor.
The Xander Professorship was created for “an eminent scholar whose work focuses on new or emerging areas of scientific inquiry, especially areas at the intersection or interstices of existing scientific disciplines and fields.” Dulac’s research exemplifies this spirit, bridging molecular biology, neuroscience, and behavior to uncover the neural and genetic basis of social interactions. Her pioneering studies on the brain mechanisms underlying parenting and social behaviors have transformed our understanding of how biology shapes complex social functions across species.
