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Benjamin Cocanougher

Benjamin Cocanougher

  • Alumni
  • United States
  • 2016 PhD Zoology
  • St Catharine's College

I grew up catching praying mantises and damselflies in rural Kentucky. As an undergraduate at Centre College, I majored in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; I spent my summers taking care of sick children at the Center for Courageous Kids and doing research in organic chemistry and neuroscience. I matriculated directly to the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and completed my first three years of medical school. I then moved to Janelia Research Campus as a HHMI Medical Research Fellow; there I studied the neural and genetic bases of behavior. As a PhD student in Zoology, I will study adaptive behavior. All animals integrate information about past experience into future decisions; this is the basis of learning and memory. I am proposing to write a specific memory and read the memory trace in the brain. I will use the fruit fly as a model organism. By understanding mechanisms of memory storage, we can begin to investigate changes in memory formation in disease; this may allow us to develop rational therapies for disorders of memory formation, including autism and Alzheimer’s disease. After completing my PhD, I will return to finish my last year of medical school and pursue a career as a child neurologist and neuroscientist, using my lab to better understand the patients I see in clinic.

Previous Education

Centre College

Latest News

Impact Prize ceremony celebrates purpose and positivity

Eight outstanding Gates Cambridge Scholars from a diverse range of backgrounds and disciplines accepted prizes on Friday night for the transformative effect their work is having in disciplines and sectors ranging from plant science and conservation to healthcare and human rights. The Impact Prize ceremony, held at Bill Gates Sr. House, was introduced by Professor […]

Impact Prize winners announced

What unites a wildlife cameraman, a quantum physicist and the co-founder of a solar energy business? For Gates Cambridge Scholars at the University of Cambridge it is the desire to improve the lives of others.  The scholars, all international postgraduate students, come from all walks of life and all disciplines, but they are keen to […]

Gates Cambridge seeks Social Media Officer

Position: Social Media Officer Location: Cambridge Employment Type: Freelance Hours: 14 hours over five days Pay: £14,000 – £16,000 About Us: The Gates Cambridge mission is to build a global network of future leaders committed to improving the lives of others. We achieve this mission by selecting outstanding scholars from countries outside the UK and […]

Taking a broader lens to women and development

Tara Cookson’s research has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to women and development. Her PhD supervisor, Professor Sarah Radcliffe, called it “highly original”. Since leaving Cambridge Tara has continued to break new ground, founding the feminist research consultancy Ladysmith and taking up a Canada Research Chair in the School of Public […]

What makes humans unique?

Sara Sherbaji’s research explores fundamental questions of what makes humans unique and the role culture plays in our evolution. Her questions build on her Master’s dissertation, on her work as a psychology lab coordinator and on her experience of fleeing the Syrian war. She says:  “Since leaving Syria during the war, my goal has been […]

At the heart of global economic development policy

Charles Amo Yartey [2002] always wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps as an accountant. Growing up in Ghana, he applied to do Business Administration at university, but, because he had not studied business at school, he was offered Economics. It proved to be the start of a fascinating career at the centre of global […]

Are AI models as divided as we are?

Elections often reveal how deeply divided humanity can be. This year, as increasing polarisation continued to shape our world, we asked: Does this division transfer to our AI? Our journey to answer this question began in 2022, when we started our PhDs as Gates Cambridge Scholars. Two concurrent events captured this moment in history: the […]

Boosting biodiversity for a more sustainable planet

Godspower Major is keen to improve his knowledge of how to boost biodiversity in oil palm plantations. He thinks the grounds are ripe for expansion in West Africa and he wants to ensure that, if that happens, African farmers do not repeat some of the mistakes made in Asia where biodiversity has been negatively impacted […]

FemTech risks and challenges

What legal protections exist to protect women from having their fertility and period-tracking data used against them to suggest they have had an abortion or used contraception? After the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the US the prospect of that data being used against women in court could be a reality for many women, […]

The power of innovation

Uchechukwu Ogechukwu [Uche for short] is a man on a mission. As an undergraduate he did a project on reducing waste at his father’s factory and found that most of it was caused by energy supply issues. While at the University, he co-founded a solar energy company with four other friends and has gained major […]