Picower Institute for Learning and Memory

The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory is one of the three neuroscience groups at MIT along with the McGovern Institute for Brain Research and the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. The institute focuses on studying various aspects of learning and memory, including diseases such as Alzheimer's and schizophrenia. it has received over US$50 million for research in these areas.

Establishment and Funding

The institute was established in 1994, primarily funded by the Sherman Fairchild Foundation, the RIKEN Brain Science Institute and the National Institute of Mental Health. It was renamed after receiving a $50 million grant by the Picower Foundation in 2002.

Leadership


 * Founder and Former Director: Nobel Prize laureate Susumu Tonegawa, who resigned on December 31, 2006, believing that “a new generation of leadership is needed.”


 * Current Director: Professor Li-Huei Tsai, who became the director on July 1, 2009