Michael Yartsev (Vallee Scholar 2020) is among twenty individuals who have been honored by the National Academy of Sciences for their contributions to science.  He will receive the Richard Lounsbery Award for pivotal contributions advancing our understanding of systems neuroscience.  The award, which will be given at a ceremony on April 27 during the National Academy of Sciences' 162nd annual meeting, is presented with a $75,000 prize.  Dr Yartsev is an Associate Professor of Bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and an HHMI Investigator.

Yartsev investigates the neural mechanisms that can support complex and ethologically relevant forms of spatial, social, and acoustic behaviors in mammals. He has developed cutting-edge technologies that enable studying the brain activity in freely behaving and flying bats, including both individuals and groups, at unprecedented levels of detail. Using these novel techniques and tools, Yartsev examines bats’ natural ability to form new spatial memories and execute complex forms of navigation with extreme precision. Yartsev and his team also study how bats interact and communicate with one another in social groups, providing unique insights into the neurobiology of social memory and communication as the underpinnings of group social behavior.

Yartsev is the second Vallee Scholar to receive the Richard Lounsbery Award.  Feng Zhang (Vallee Scholar 2013) received the Award in 2021.  Dr Zhang is the WM Keck Career Development Professor of Biomedical Engineering, MIT; James & Patricia Poitras Professor in Neuroscience, MIT; Principal Investigator at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research, The Broad Institute; Core Member, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; and HHMI Investigator