Richard Huganir

Richard Huganir, a prominent figure in medicine and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University, holds the position of Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience and Psychological and Brain Sciences. He serves as Director of the Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience and Co-Director of the Johns Hopkins Brain Science Institute. Additionally, he is Professor of Biological Chemistry, Neuroscience, Pharmacology, and Molecular Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Huganir completed his undergraduate studies with an A.B. in Biochemistry from Vassar College in 1975. He earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular, and Cell Biology from Cornell University in 1982, conducting thesis research in Efraim Racker's laboratory. Subsequently, he pursued a postdoctoral fellowship in Paul Greengard's laboratory at Yale University School of Medicine. Prior to joining Johns Hopkins in 1988, Huganir was an Assistant Professor of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology at Rockefeller University.

Huganir's research investigates the molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate neurotransmitter receptors and synaptic plasticity, with a particular emphasis on glutamate receptors including AMPA and NMDA types. His work elucidates how phosphorylation, subcellular targeting, and clustering of these receptors influence synaptic transmission, long-term potentiation (LTP), long-term depression (LTD), learning, and memory. He has identified key interacting proteins such as GRIPs, PICK1, NSF, and SynGAP, linking SynGAP mutations to intellectual disability, autism, and schizophrenia. His studies also address implications for disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, bipolar disorder, depression, chronic pain, and drug addiction. With over 200 peer-reviewed publications and nearly 90,000 citations, Huganir's contributions have profoundly influenced the field. He has received prestigious honors including election to the National Academy of Sciences (2004) and National Academy of Medicine (2011), membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2001), the Julius Axelrod Award from the Society for Neuroscience (2007), presidency of the Society for Neuroscience, the Goldman-Rakic Prize, and the Edward M. Scolnick Prize.

Professional Email: rhuganir@jhmi.edu