Priya Rajasethupathy: Memories mark DNA
Neuroscientist probes the memories of sea slugs and mice
UNFORGETTABLE Priya Rajasethupathy has found a tiny molecule that may turn off part of the genome to allow the brain to store long-term memories.
Connie Lee
Priya Rajasethupathy, 31
Stanford | Neuroscience
Graduate school: Columbia
Priya Rajasethupathy’s research has been called groundbreaking, compelling and beautifully executed. It’s also memorable.
Rajasethupathy, a neuroscientist at Stanford University, investigates how the brain remembers. Her work probes the molecular machinery that governs memories. Her most startling — and controversial — finding: Enduring memories may leave lasting marks on DNA.
Being a scientist wasn’t her first career choice. Although Rajasethupathy inherited a love of computation from her computer scientist dad, she enrolled in Cornell University as a pre-med student. After graduating in three years, she took a year off to volunteer in
