Nicholas C. Spitzer is Distinguished Professor of Neurobiology at the University of California, San Diego. He received his B.A. and Ph.D. at Harvard University. After postdoctoral work at Harvard and University College London he joined the UCSD faculty in 1972. His research focuses on the mechanisms of development of the nervous system, analyzing the role of electrical activity in this process and using neurophysiological, anatomical, imaging and molecular techniques to investigate the partnership of calcium signaling and gene expression. Most recently he has been studying activity-dependent specification of neurotransmitter and transmitter receptor expression. from the brain's physical and biochemical machinery to the experiences and behaviors called the mind. Spitzer has served on several NIH study sections, as a member of the NIH NINDS Council and as a Trustee of the Grass Foundation. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences. His honors include the Karl Spencer Lashley Prize.