July 7, 2016
Gaia Novarino appointed to become FENS-Kavli Scholar
As announced by the FENS-Kavli Network of Excellence, IST Austria neuroscientist Gaia Novarino was selected to join the group of FENS-Kavli Scholars. She thereby becomes a member of a prestigious network of 35 outstanding young European neuroscientists who – according to peer opinion – represent the most talented researchers in their field.
Gaia Novarino’s research group at IST Austria focuses on elucidating the genetic and molecular basis of neurodevelopmental disorders. Together with her team, Gaia Novarino’s scientific work aims to identify and study genes underlying inherited forms of epilepsy associated with intellectual disability and/or autism. Epilepsy disorders affect millions of people, many of which are children, often refractory to treatments. Despite a lot of progress in brain research to date, the causes of epilepsy remain unknown for the majority of cases.
Supported generously by the Kavli Foundation, the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) established a high-level multidisciplinary network of excellent early to mid-career European neuroscientists providing fora of exchange and ”putting young researchers in the driver’s seat” of brain research on a global scale. Gaia Novarino was elected from an extraordinarily strong pool of talented neuroscientists in Europe during the FENS Forum in Copenhagen in July 2016.
“To me, this appointment is a wonderful recognition of our work we do here at the IST Austria neuroscience cluster in Klosterneuburg and shows that the neuroscience community pays attention to what we do. I look forward to participate actively in the FENS-Kavli Network of Excellence and will use it as a source of inspiration for our future work”, says Gaia Novarino.
According to the FENS website, “the aim of the FENS-Kavli Network is to improve neuroscience in Europe and beyond through providing opportunities for young scientists, influencing science policy, and facilitating the exchange between science and society.”
The U.S based Kavli Foundation, established by the late Fred Kavli in the year 2000, aims at providing support for the advancement of science and promoting a better understanding and support for scientists and their work. The three main areas of science the Kavli Foundation supports are astrophysics, nanoscience, and neuroscience.
