Subject:

Announcing Director of the Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind

I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Yishi Jin as the UC San
Diego Co-Director of the Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind (KIBM)
(https://kibm.ucsd.edu/), an Organized Research Unit at UC San Diego,
effective July 1, 2020.

Dr. Jin is currently Distinguished Professor of Neurobiology and the
Junior Seau Foundation Endowed Chair in Traumatic Brain Injury. She is a
former Director of the Neurosciences Graduate Program and former Chair
of Neurobiology. Her research focuses on discovering the mechanisms
underlying the development and function of the nervous system, to
connect the studies of basic mechanisms to the understanding of human
neurological disorders and neuronal repair. Dr. Jin received her B.S.
degree from Peking University, China, and her Ph.D. from the University
of California, Berkeley. She completed her postdoctoral training at MIT.

Effective July 1, 2020, Ed Callaway, Professor and Vincent J. Coates
Chair in Molecular Neurobiology at The Salk Institute for Biological
Studies, joined Dr. Jin as the Salk Co-Director of KIBM. Additionally,
Gabe Silva, Professor of Bioengineering and Neurosciences, was appointed
as Associate Director and Ralph Greenspan, Professor of Neurobiology and
Professor of Cognitive Science in Residence, was reappointed as
Associate Director.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Distinguished Professor
Nick Spitzer for his service as Founding Co-Director of KIBM. Under his
leadership, KIBM was established in 2004 as one of the prestigious Kavli
Institutes for Neuroscience. During Dr. Spitzer’s tenure with KIBM, he
has overseen the development of a successful Innovative Research Grant
Program that provides pilot funding for brain-mind research projects,
has hosted numerous popular public symposia that have drawn large
audiences both in person and online, and has promoted training the next
generation of scientists by sponsoring YKavli program as a forum for
early career researchers. One of his most lasting legacies has been
fostering the spirit of collegial interdisciplinary collaboration in the
interest of transforming scientific discovery.

Please join me in thanking Professor Spitzer for his dedicated service
and welcoming Dr. Jin as Co-Director.

Sandra A. Brown Vice Chancellor for Research