Council Dates: October 2008 - November 2009
Independent Position: Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine
Benjamin Arenkiel was a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Neurobiology at Duke University School of Medicine. In the laboratory of Michael Ehlers, his research focused on how neuronal activity influences synapse formation and maintenance of newborn neurons in the adult mammalian brain. More specifically, he investigated the cellular and molecular mechanisms utilized by newborn neurons for synapse formation, circuit integration, and cell survival in response to neural stimulation through cell biological, electrophysiological, and genetic approaches. He earned his Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, and his B.S. in Microbiology from St. Cloud State University.