AREAS OF SPECIALTY:

• Neuronal proteostasis and repair

• exercise impact on neuronal health

• longevity therapeutics

Monica Driscoll, PhD

Monica Driscoll received her A.B. degree in Chemistry from Douglass College in 1979 and earned a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Harvard University in 1985, studying molecular and genetic regulation of gene expression in a yeast model system. She pursued postdoctoral studies in the lab of Dr. Martin Chalfie at Columbia University, where she began her work on the simple animal model C. elegans, focusing on deciphering molecular mechanisms of mechanotransduction and necrotic neuronal degeneration. She joined the faculty of the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at Rutgers University in 1991, where she is currently appointed as a Distinguished Professor. 

The Driscoll lab studies the basic biology of aging with a focus on molecular mechanisms of healthspan extension via genetic, chemical, and exercise interventions. Neuronal proteostasis and anti-neurodegeneration mechanisms are also major research interests. Overall, her group is dedicated to elaborating molecular, cellular, and trans-tissue strategies that drive healthy maintenance and protect against age-associated decline.

Dr. Driscoll has been an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow, and a recipient of an Ellison Medical Foundation Senior Scholar Award and a Glenn Foundation Award for Research in Biological Mechanisms of Aging. Her later research was distinguished by a National Institute on Aging MERIT Award. Her service includes appointment to the National Institutes on Aging Advisory Council. Dr. Driscoll is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Recently Dr. Driscoll has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences.