From the President

The growth of the Tulane Brain Institute over the past decade reflects the extraordinary power of collaboration, connecting researchers across the university to pursue discoveries that will shape the future of neuroscience.

Michael A. Fitts
President, Tulane University

From the Director

Ten years ago, the Tulane Brain Institute was an idea, a recognition by a group of neuroscience faculty that Tulane needed a new kind of home for a field too complex to fit inside any single department. Today, the Brain Institute is one of the most distinctive entities at Tulane, a community of nearly 70 faculty members and about 500 students, undergraduate to PhD candidates.

What unites us all is the brain itself. And what holds the Institute together is the conviction that we will only understand it by working across disciplines.

The pages that follow tell the story of a decade of work organized around three pillars: research, education and community outreach. Our faculty have produced discoveries published in the most prestigious scientific journals. Our undergraduate neuroscience major is one of Tulane’s most popular and has graduated more than 1,500 students. Our outreach team has shared the wonder of how the brain works with thousands of New Orleans residents.

None of this would have been possible without the generosity of our donors, who have made the Brain Institute’s growth possible from its founding gift to today. Their commitment, paired with the vision of our founders and the dedication of our students and faculty, has shaped everything we have built.

As we begin our second decade, with new facilities, new partnerships and new ambitions for the downtown campus, I am proud to lead this community and grateful to share what we have built so far.

Matthew Dalva 
Director, Tulane Brain Institute 
Phyllis M. Taylor Presidential Chair in Brain Science and Professor of Cell and Molecular Biology, 
Tulane School of Science and Engineering