Professor Catherine Woolley elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Professor Catherine Woolley has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies. Woolley is the William Deering Chair in Biological Sciences in the department of neurobiology and associate dean for research at Weinberg. She also holds a secondary appointment as professor of neurology at Feinberg.

Woolley is widely known for her research on intrinsic biological differences between males and females in the molecular pathways that regulate synaptic communication in the brain. Her work has helped to explain how estrogens enhance learning and memory consolidation. Woolley’s research has provided a scientific basis to predict that male and female brains may respond differently to drugs targeting certain pathways and has helped to develop a deeper understanding of many neurological diseases. Woolley is a member of the National Academy of Medicine.

Wooley is among this year’s class of 252 artists, scholars, scientists, and leaders in the public, nonprofit and private sectors.

The Academy was founded in 1780 by John Adams, James Bowdoin and others who believed the new republic should honor exceptionally accomplished individuals and engage them in advancing the public good. The Academy’s dual mission remains essentially the same 240 years later with honorees from increasingly diverse fields and with the work now focused on the arts and humanities, democracy and justice, education, global affairs and science.

The 2021 class includes CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, civil rights activist and math literacy pioneer Robert Moses, NASA atmospheric scientist Anne Thompson and Oprah Winfrey.

Throughout her career, Catherine Woolley has been dedicated to building networks across the scientific community. Learn more about her work in the video below: “New Knowledge for a Complex World: Catherine Woolley.”