Timothy Ryan (biochemist)

Timothy A. Ryan
Alma materMcGill University (BSc, MSc)
Cornell University (PhD)
Known forPresynaptic biology
Local ATP synthesis at synapses
Optical reporters of synaptic function
AwardsNational Academy of Sciences (2024)
American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2024)
Javits Award (2016)
McKnight Technological Innovations in Neuroscience Award (2000, 2010)
Scientific career
FieldsNeuroscience, Biophysics
InstitutionsWeill Cornell Medicine
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Doctoral advisorWatt W. Webb
Websitesites.google.com/site/ryanlab1/Home

Timothy A. Ryan is an American neuroscientist and biophysicist. He is a Tri-Institutional Professor of Biochemistry at Weill Cornell Medicine and a Senior Scholar at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Janelia Research Campus.[1] He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.[2]

Education

Ryan received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Physics from McGill University.[2] He earned his Ph.D. in Physics from Cornell University.[2] He conducted postdoctoral research in molecular and cellular physiology in the laboratory of Stephen J Smith at Stanford University before joining the faculty at Weill Cornell Medicine in 1997.[2]

Research

Ryan's research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of synaptic function, with a particular emphasis on presynaptic biology and neuroenergetics.[2] His laboratory developed quantitative optical techniques to measure parameters associated with synaptic transmission.[2] His work discovered that nerve terminals are highly sensitive to metabolic perturbations and that synapses must regulate ATP synthesis on-demand to match the bioenergetic needs of neurotransmitter release and recycling.[2] He has also identified links between susceptibility genes for Parkinson's disease and the failure of synapses to maintain bioenergetic balance.[2] In 2024, his team was awarded a significant grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation to study organelle integration in Parkinson's disease.[3]

Awards and honors

References

  1. ^ "Team: Timothy Ryan". Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP). Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Member Directory: Timothy A. Ryan". National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  3. ^ "Timothy Ryan, PhD". Michael J. Fox Foundation. 21 November 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  4. ^ "National Academy of Sciences Elects Members and International Members". National Academy of Sciences. 30 April 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  5. ^ "Timothy A. Ryan". American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  6. ^ "Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award (R37) Recipients". National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  7. ^ "Awardees: Technological Innovations in Neuroscience". McKnight Foundation. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  8. ^ "Sloan Research Fellowships 1999 Annual Report" (PDF). Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Retrieved 3 January 2026.