Amy Bany Adams, Ph.D.

Dr. Amy Bany Adams currently serves as the Acting Deputy Director for NINDS. In addition to this role, she also continues to serve as NINDS Deputy Director of Scientific Management and Operations, where she leads strategic efforts that optimize operational support for the Institute’s scientific priorities and accelerate the pace of neuroscience research by enhancing integration across the OD and strengthening the partnerships between science and administration.

Prior to serving in this role, Dr. Adams founded and led the NINDS Office of Neuroscience Communications and Engagement (ONCE), which seeks to foster knowledge about the brain and nervous system and share information about neuroscience discoveries and research programs through strategic, comprehensive engagement with public and scientific communities. ONCE also works to coordinate and communicate the activities of NIH BRAIN Initiative across NIH and between NIH and other federal and non-federal participants.  Previously, she served as the Director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) Office of Science Policy and Analysis (OSPA), where she was responsible for coordinating scientific planning efforts, policy analysis, and providing evaluating and reporting services for the NIDCR. Prior to joining NIDCR, Dr. Adams served as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellow in the Office of the (NIH) Director, and subsequently served as Special Assistant to the NIH Director. Dr. Adams earned her Ph.D. in cell biology from the Yale University School of Medicine, where her research focused on the genetic and cellular basis for neurotransmitter control of behavior in C. elegans. She received her B.S. in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.