Leslie Birgit Vosshall (born July 5, 1965) is an American neurobiologist and currently an Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator and the Robin Chemers Neustein Professor of Neurogenetics and Behavior at The Rockefeller University. In 2022 she was appointed Chief Scientific Officer and vicepresident of HHMI. She is also the director of the Kavli Neural Systems Institute at The Rockefeller University. Vosshall, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, is known for her contributions to the field of olfaction, particularly for the discovery and subsequent characterization of the insect olfactory receptor family, and the genetic basis of chemosensory behavior in mosquitoes. She has also extended her research into the study of human olfaction, revealing parts of human genetic olfactory architecture, and finding variations in odorant receptors that determine individuals’ abilities to detect odors.

Early life

Leslie Vosshall was born in Lausanne, Switzerland where she spent most of her early childhood. Vosshall moved to New Jersey when she was 8 years old. She spent summers from age 17 to 19 in her uncle, Philip Dunham's, summer laboratory with

Gerald Weissmann Gerald Weissmann (August 7, 1930 – July 10, 2019) was an Austrian-born American physician/scientist, editor, and essayist. He was Professor Emeritus and Research Professor of Medicine (Rheumatology) at New York University School of Medicine. He ...

at the

Marine Biological Laboratory The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is an international center for research and education in biological and environmental science. Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, in 1888, the MBL is a private, nonprofit institution that was independent ...

(MBL) in Woods Hole. Vosshall said this experience was "an incredible introduction to the practice of science."

Education

Vosshall received her B.A. in Biochemistry from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1987 and her Ph.D. from Rockefeller University in 1993. She then returned to Columbia for a postdoctoral fellowship in the laboratory of future Nobel laureate

Richard Axel Richard Axel (born July 2, 1946) is an American molecular biologist and List of university professors at Columbia University, university professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Columbia University and investigator at the Howard Hughes Medic ...

from 1993-1997. She then worked in the position of Associate Research Scientist in Dr. Axel's laboratory from 1997-2000. Vosshall was offered the position of Assistant Professor at The Rockefeller University in 2000, and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2006. In April 2010, she was granted tenure and is currently the Robin Chemers Neustein Professor and Head of the Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior. She served as Associate Director of the Kavli Neural Systems Institute from 2015-2016 and was promoted to Director in 2016.

Research

Vosshall’s laboratory studies three organisms: fruit flies, mosquitoes and humans, to understand the genetic and molecular underpinnings, as well as behavioral mechanisms, involved in olfaction and feeding behavior. In addition, to find the genes that make the mosquito species Aedes aegypti prefer humans, Vosshall compares genes that drive host-seeking and blood-seeking behaviors in several different mosquito subspecies. Vosshall’s and her associates’ research on Aedes aegypti, the mosquito responsible for transmitting

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. ...

dengue Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms typically begin three to fourteen days after infection. These may include a high fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic ...

, and

Zika Zika fever, also known as Zika virus disease or simply Zika, is an infectious disease caused by the Zika virus. Most cases have no symptoms, but when present they are usually mild and can resemble dengue fever. Symptoms may include fever, red ...

, found that it has a particular odor-detecting gene (AaegOr4) that is highly attuned to sulcatone, a compound predominant in human odor. Research from Vosshall’s lab demonstrated that a chemical transferred from the male of the species during sex plays a key role in shaping the female’s sexual proclivities. In addition, Vosshall and her associates discovered ORCO, a mosquito co-receptor responsible for preference for humans over non-human animals and sensitivity to insect-repellent DEET.

Awards and honors

* Beckman Young Investigator Award (2001) * McKnight Neuroscience Scholar Award (2001) * National Science Foundation Early Career Development Award (2001) * John Merck Fund Scholar (2002) *

Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their independent research careers. The White ...

(2002) * New York City Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Science and Technology (2005) * Irma T. Hirschl/Monique Weill-Caulier Trust Research Award (2005) * Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists (2007). * Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator (2008) * Lawrence C. Katz Prize, Duke University (2009) * Dart/NYU Biotechnology Achievement Award (2010) * Gill Young Investigator Award (2011) * Member, National Academy of Sciences (2015) * Pradel Research Award (2020) * Member,

National Academy of Medicine The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), formerly called the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, Eng ...

(2021)

Key papers

* * * *Larsson MC, Domingos AI, Jones WD, Chiappe ME, Amrein H, Vosshall LB (September 2 2004). "Or83b Encodes a Broadly Expressed Odorant Receptor Essential for Drosophila Olfaction". Neuron. 43 (5): 703–714. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2004.08.019. ISSN 0896-6273

Other selected publications

*McBride, C.S. et al. Evolution of mosquito preference for humans linked to an odorant receptor. ''Nature'' 515, 222–227 (2014). *Bushdid, C. et al. Humans can discriminate more than 1 trillion olfactory stimuli. ''Science'' 343, 1370–1372 (2014). *McMeniman, C.J. et al. Multimodal Integration of Carbon Dioxide and Other Sensory Cues Drives Mosquito Attraction to Humans. ''Cell'' 156,1060-1071 (2014)''.''

References

External links

Rockefeller news search results for Leslie Vosshall
(biography)
Rockefeller: Vosshall Lab Web Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vosshall, Leslie B. American medical researchers American neuroscientists American women neuroscientists American expatriates in Switzerland Rockefeller University people Columbia College (New York) alumni Rockefeller University alumni Howard Hughes Medical Investigators 1965 births Living people Scientists from Lausanne Members of the National Academy of Medicine 21st-century American women scientists 21st-century American biologists