PeopleofSuperintelligence

Lab leader

Bernardo Sabatini

Bernardo Sabatini is a neurobiologist who co-directs Harvard’s Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural and Artificial Intelligence. His lab studies neural plasticity and learning and seeks brain-circuit features that could give artificial systems new capabilities. He earned an MD through the Harvard University/MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology and a PhD in Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School by 1999, then joined the faculty in 2001 after a postdoctoral fellowship with Karel Svoboda at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. He became an HHMI investigator in 2008 and was named to the Takeda and Moorhead neurobiology professorships in 2010 and 2014, respectively; he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2014 and the National Academy of Sciences in 2019. In November 2025, his team paired a desktop supercomputer with genetic experiments to study brain mutations linked to epilepsy.

Works
336
Citations
35,269
h-index
96
Badges

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 27 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. By 1999

    Harvard medical and neurobiology degrees

    By 1999, he earns an M.D. through the Harvard University/MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology and completes a Ph.D. in Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School.

  2. 2001

    Joining Harvard faculty

    After a postdoctoral fellowship with Karel Svoboda at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, he joins Harvard Medical School’s faculty in 2001.

  3. 2008–2014

    HHMI and professorships

    He becomes a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator in 2008, the Takeda Professor of Neurobiology in 2010, and the Alice and Rodman W. Moorhead III Professor in 2014. His research examines how synapses and neural circuits support learning.

  4. 2014

    American Academy election

    In 2014, he is elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

  5. 2019

    National Academy election

    In 2019, the National Academy of Sciences elects him to membership.

  6. December 2021

    Leading the Kempner Institute

    In December 2021, Harvard names him and Sham Kakade to lead the Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural and Artificial Intelligence.

  7. By August 2024

    Thyroid hormone and exploration

    By August 2024, a study led by him finds that thyroid hormone rewires cortical circuits in mice and adjusts metabolism to encourage exploration.

  8. November 2025

    AI tools for epilepsy research

    In November 2025, he leads a Kempner project that combines a desktop supercomputer with genetic experiments to study mutations linked to epilepsy.

  9. As of October 2026

    Kempner co-director

    As of October 2026, he co-directs the Kempner Institute with Sham Kakade and is the Alice and Rodman W. Moorhead III Professor of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School. His lab studies neural plasticity and learning and seeks brain-circuit features that could give artificial systems new capabilities.

Career

  1. Since 2008Howard Hughes Medical InstituteInvestigator
  2. Since 2014Harvard Medical SchoolAlice and Rodman W. Moorhead III Professor of Neurobiology
  3. NowHarvard UniversityCo-director, Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural and Artificial Intelligence
  4. Cold Spring Harbor LaboratoryPostdoctoral Fellow

Education

  1. 1999Harvard UniversityMD, Harvard University/MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology
  2. Harvard UniversityPh.D. in Neurobiology

From the biography.

Checked career sources: kempnerinstitute.harvard.edu, hhmi.org, kempnerinstitute.harvard.edu, kempnerinstitute.harvard.edu.

Colleagues

People named in this biography, and people with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Bernardo Sabatini yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Bernardo Sabatini - Kempner Institute kempnerinstitute.harvard.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  2. Bernardo L. Sabatini | Investigator | 2008-Present hhmi.org. Checked 27 October 2026.
  3. American Academy of Arts and Sciences Elects Nine Simons Foundation Grantees simonsfoundation.org. Checked 27 October 2026.
  4. Simons-Supported Researchers and Advisory Board Member Elected to the National Academy of Sciences simonsfoundation.org. Checked 27 October 2026.
  5. New University-Wide Institute to Integrate Natural, Artificial Intelligence kempnerinstitute.harvard.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  6. Bernardo Sabatini | Neurobiology neuro.hms.harvard.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  7. Decoding Epilepsy with the Power of AI kempnerinstitute.harvard.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  8. Navigating the Kempner kempnerinstitute.harvard.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.