Ege Kavalali, the William Stokes Professor of Experimental Therapeutics and chair of the Department of Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences, has been elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, one of the world’s largest scientific societies and publisher of the Science family of journals.
Kavalali was recognized for his contributions to understanding synaptic signaling and neurotransmission in the central nervous system. His research examines how synapses communicate and regulate information transfer in the brain, focusing on the molecular basis and functional consequences of different synaptic vesicle recycling pathways within individual synapses.
Using a combination of electrical and optical recording techniques and molecular tools, Kavalali’s work has helped reveal that spontaneous neurotransmitter release operates through mechanisms distinct from those that drive action potential–evoked transmission. His lab proposed that spontaneous neurotransmission functions as an autonomous neuronal signaling pathway independent of evoked synaptic transmission. More recently, his group and collaborators have identified spontaneous neurotransmission–dependent signaling mechanisms that help explain how certain antidepressants can act rapidly in the brain.
“I am honored to join this distinguished society as a fellow and contribute to their efforts for the betterment of the scientific research environment nationally and internationally,” Kavalali said.
Election as a AAAS Fellow recognizes scientists, engineers and innovators whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished. The honor, which dates back to 1874, is a lifetime distinction.
“Ege Kavalali’s discoveries revealing the importance of spontaneous neurotransmission opened an entirely new perspective on synaptic signaling and have had profound implications for understanding brain function and psychiatric disease,” said John Kuriyan, dean of Basic Sciences and University Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry. “We are delighted to see his pioneering contributions recognized with election to AAAS.”
Kavalali earned his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from Boğaziçi University in Istanbul, Turkey, before receiving his Ph.D. from Rutgers University. He completed postdoctoral training with Richard W. Tsien at Stanford University and later joined the faculty at UT Southwestern Medical Center. After nearly two decades there, he joined Vanderbilt in 2018 as professor and chair of pharmacology.
AAAS Fellows join a distinguished group of scientists recognized for their contributions to advancing knowledge and improving society through scientific discovery, such as Earl Sutherland, Jennifer Doudna, W.E.B. DuBois, Linus Pauling, and Thomas Edison