Ann Graybiel, PhD

Ann Graybiel, PhD

Ann Graybiel is a Professor in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Early in her career, Dr. Graybiel discovered the neurochemical compartments in the striatum, now known as the striosomes and surrounding matrix and demonstrated selective connectivity between striosomes and the dopamine containing substantia nigra. Recent work has focused on characterization of genes preferentially expressed in striosomes and their dysregulation in diseases such as Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease, as well as the role of basal ganglia in habit formation, addiction and psychiatric disorders. 

Dr. Graybiel has received numerous awards during her career. In 2001, she was appointed Investigator at the McGovern Institute and was named a recipient of the National Medal of Science, the nation's highest science and technology honor. In 2002, Graybiel was awarded the James R. Killian Faculty Achievement Award which recognizes extraordinary professional accomplishment, the highest honor given to an MIT professor.

In 2004, she received the Woman Leader of Parkinson’s Science award from the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, and in 2006 she was named the Harold S. Diamond Professor by the National Parkinson Foundation in recognition of her contributions to the understanding and treatment of Parkinson’s Disease. In 2012 she shared the Kavli Prize in Neuroscience awarded by President Barack Obama.

Dr. Graybiel has served on the scientific advisory board of many organizations including the Stockholm Brain Institute, Dystonia Medical Research Foundation, International Brain Research Organization and Hereditary Disease Foundation.

She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.