Rate My Professor Catherine Dulac

Dulac's research employs molecular, genetic, electrophysiological, and optical techniques to elucidate the molecular, neuronal, and circuit basis of instinctive social behaviors in mice, including the sensory signals that trigger aggression, mating, parental care, social recognition, and defensive behaviors. Her lab has identified key brain circuits, such as those in the vomeronasal system and hypothalamus, governing these functions and demonstrated that male- and female-specific behavioral circuits coexist in both sexes, challenging long-held dogmas. Pioneering discoveries include the first family of mammalian pheromone receptors (Dulac and Axel, Cell, 1995), galanin neurons in the medial preoptic area that control parental behavior (Wu et al., Nature, 2014), functional architectures underlying parenting (Kohl et al., Nature, 2018), molecular profiling of the hypothalamic preoptic region (Moffitt et al., Science, 2018), circuits for infant-directed neglect and aggression (Autry et al., eLife, 2021), and preoptic neurons regulating fever and appetite during sickness (Osterhout et al., Nature, 2022). She has also advanced understanding of genomic imprinting in the developing and adult brain. Dulac's transformative contributions have reshaped neuroscience and behavioral biology. Her honors include the 2021 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, Officer of the Legion d'Honneur (2024), Richard Lounsbery Award (2006), Perl/UNC Neuroscience Prize (2010), Ralph W. Gerard Prize (2019), and election to the National Academy of Sciences (2015), American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and French Academy of Sciences. She co-chaired the NIH BRAIN Initiative Working Group 2.0.