Dr. Karla Kaun, Robert and Nancy Carney Assistant Professor of Neuroscience, has been recognized by the International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society (IBANGS) with the 2018 Young Investigator Award. Her laboratory uses the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, to investigate the neural substrates of drug reward by mapping areas in the fly brain that regulate alcohol reward, and uncovering genes and pathways implicated in memory of alcohol reward. They combine genetics, behavior, in vivo imaging in behaving animals, molecular biology and biochemistry to address those topics.

IBANGS has members world wide that study the genetic basis of a wide range of behaviors and brain disorders together with the underlying neuronal mechanisms using diverse species. The ultimate goal of the society is to elucidate the molecular pathways through which genes together with the environment affect behavior. Dr. Kaun will receive the award and present her latest research at the IBANGS meeting in Rochester, May 17-20, 2018.