Carol Barnes, University of Arizona Regents’ Professor of Psychology, Neurology, and Neuroscience, has been elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences, in recognition of her distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Barnes is the only new member from Arizona, and only the 14th current member from the UA. Barnes, who holds the UA’s Evelyn F. McKnight Chair for Learning and Memory in Aging, is internationally recognized for her groundbreaking research on how the brain changes during the course of normal aging, and the consequences those changes have on memory and information processing. 

“Over the course of her remarkable career Dr. Barnes has reshaped our understanding of the aging brain,” said UA President Robert C. Robbins. “She continues to do cutting-edge research that is fundamental to understanding how we can live longer and healthier lives, both physically and cognitively, and she has positioned the UA to be a worldwide leader in research on long-term human wellness. Dr. Barnes is a titan in her field, and I am very proud that she is being recognized in this way.”

“The election to the National Academy of Sciences is a great honor for me personally, especially because it indicates a scientific communitywide appreciation of the importance of understanding the neurobiology of brain aging and its impact on cognition,” said Barnes, who joined the UA Department of Psychology in 1990 and was named a Regents’ Professor in 2006. 

Barnes has published hundreds of journal articles, has received numerous awards for her work, and has been continuously funded for her research by the National Institute on Aging since 1982. She also is a longtime member and past president of the Society for Neuroscience, the largest body of scientists in the world who study the brain. 

“Carol has not only made groundbreaking contributions to the study of the aging brain, but her research literally established the field,” said Lee Ryan, professor and head of the UA Department of Psychology. “At a time when most people simply equated aging with deteriorating, Carol showed us that the aging brain is resilient – it’s constantly adapting, reshaping and rewiring. Disorders like dementia are not the inevitable endpoint of aging. This is an incredibly important and positive message that we owe to Carol’s work.  She is not only an amazing scientist, but she is also a wonderful colleague and a dedicated mentor and educator. Many young neuroscientists around the globe – in particular, women neuroscientists – are indebted to Carol for her guidance and encouragement.”