AboutThe Gregor Stoddard Lectureship is funded by a generous gift from Janie and Rick Stoddard of Denver. The Stoddards have endowed multiple lectureships and professorships at the Children’s hospital, and both the Section of Neonatology and the Department of Pediatrics have benefited from the wonderful speakers that have visited our campus over the years. Through these gifts and the resulting exchange of knowledge the Stoddards have improved the ability of pediatric care givers to provide world class care to children both here in Colorado and beyond.
BiancaJonesMarlin,PhD
HHMIFreemanHrabowskiScholar
HerbertandFlorenceIrvingAssistantProfess ofCellResearch
DepartmentofPsychology
DepartmentofNeuroscience
PrincipalInvestigatoratColumbiaUniversity
ZuckermanInstitute
BiancaJonesMarlin,PhD,isaneuroscientista
IrvingAssistantProfessorofCellResearchintheDepartmentsofPsychology andNeuroscienceatColumbiaUniversityandtheZuckermanInstituteanda HowardHughesMedicalInstitute(HHMI)FreemanHrabowskiScholar.Her researchinvestigateshoworganismsunlockinnatebehaviorsatappropriate times,andhowlearnedinformationispassedtosubsequentgenerationsvia transgenerationalepigeneticinheritance.Dr.Marlin’sexperimentalapproach combinesneuralimaging,behaviorandmoleculargeneticstouncoverthe mechanismsbywhichlearningandemotionarebiologicallytransmittedfrom neuronsoftheparenttoneuronsoftheiroffspring.Theresultinginsightsinto howlearnedbehaviorintheparentcanbecomeinnatebehaviorinthe offspringpromisetomakeaprofoundimpactonsocietalbrainhealth,mental well-being,andparenting.
PriortojoiningthefacultyatColumbia,Marlincompletedherpostdoctoral workunderthementorshipofNobelLaureate,RichardAxel,MD,whereshe investigatedhowtraumaexperiencedbyparentsaffectsthebrainstructure andsensoryexperienceoftheirfutureoffspring.MarlinreceivedherPhDfrom NewYorkUniversityworkinginthelabofRobertFroemke,PhD,whereshe examinedhowthebrainadaptstocareforanewborn–specificallytheroleof theneuropeptideoxytocininmaternalbehavior.Shehasdualbachelor degreesinbiologyandadolescenteducationfromSt.John’sUniversity.
Marlin’sworkhasbeenrecognizedwithseveralawardsandhonors,including: PopularScienceMagazine’sBrilliant10,theSTATWunderkindAward,theAllen Institute’sNextGenerationLeadersCouncil,theDonaldB.LindsleyPrizein BehavioralNeuroscience,andDiscoverMagazine’sTop100Stories.Her researchandperspectiveshavebeenfeaturedin The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Geographic, Discover Magazine and Forbes, amongothers.
