Myriam Heiman, PhD

Myriam Heiman, Ph.D., is the John and Dorothy Wilson Professor of Neuroscience in the MIT Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and a member of the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory. Her research seeks to uncover the molecular mechanisms that drive neuronal function and vulnerability in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases. She is internationally recognized for developing the Translating Ribosome Affinity Purification (TRAP) technique, which revolutionized cell type-specific molecular profiling in the mammalian brain. Her laboratory integrates genetic, genomic, biochemical, and single-cell approaches to investigate disorders including Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, ALS/FTD, vascular cognitive impairment, and substance use disorders.

Heiman’s contributions span mechanistic discovery, innovative genetic screening methods, and the characterization of disease-associated cellular states. She has received major honors including the NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award, the NIH Outstanding Investigator Award (R35), and the Newton Brain Science Award. Prior to joining MIT, she trained at Princeton, Johns Hopkins, and The Rockefeller University.