Albert Lee, a former group leader at HHMI’s Janelia Research Campus, is now an HHMI Investigator at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Lee, who was a group leader at Janelia from 2008 to 2023, has been named an Investigator at BIDMC, associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, and faculty in the department of neurology at BIDMC.
Lee joins HHMI’s flagship program of more than 260 Investigators, located at more than 60 research institutions around the US, who are pushing the boundaries of basic and biomedical research. Janelia group leaders who have completed a 10-year term can apply to the HHMI Investigator Program and, if successful, transfer to an eligible host institution.
At Janelia, the Lee Lab investigated the neural basis of spatial learning and memory in rats and mice, with a focus on the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Using intracellular and extracellular recordings, and imaging, the lab developed a model of how the hippocampus represents space under different conditions. The team recently used brain-machine interface technology to show that rats can navigate or direct objects to goals in a virtual reality arena by activating hippocampal map-like representations, providing insight into the mechanisms underlying memory recall and imagination. The lab also investigated the role of the prefrontal cortex in higher cognitive processes and working memory, and was involved in the development of Neuropixels probes for electrophysiology.
At BIDMC, Lee and his team will continue their work investigating the higher-level mechanisms involved in memory and cognitive processing, and their implications for human health.
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At Janelia, the Lee Lab investigated the neural basis of spatial learning and memory in rats and mice, with a focus on the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex.
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Nanci Bompey