Kenneth C. Catania (born 1965) is a

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

and

neuroscientist A neuroscientist (or neurobiologist) is a scientist specializing in neuroscience that deals with the anatomy and function of neurons, Biological neural network, neural circuits, and glia, and their Behavior, behavioral, biological, and psycholo ...

teaching an
conducting research
at

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

. As an undergraduate, Catania worked as a research assistant at the National Zoo in

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

while attending the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD i ...

. In 1989, he received a BS in

zoology Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the anatomy, structure, embryology, Biological classification, classification, Ethology, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinction, extinct, and ...

from the University of Maryland. He received a master's degree (1992) and Ph.D. (1994) in

neuroscience Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions, and its disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, ...

s from the

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Es ...

, working with Glenn Northcutt. He did his post-doctoral work with

Jon Kaas Jon Kaas is a professor at Vanderbilt University and a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences. He has made discoveries about the organization of the mammalian brain, including the description of many areas of the cerebral cortex ...

before joining th
Vanderbilt Biological Sciences faculty
in 2000 where he is currently a Stevenson Professor of Biological Sciences. He studies animal sensory systems, brain organization, and behavior in diverse species including star-nosed moles, water shrews, naked mole-rats, alligators and crocodiles, snakes, earthworms, and electric eels. His studies often focus on predators that have evolved special senses and weapons to find and overcome elusive prey and he is considered an expert in extreme animal behaviors. He studies specialized species because they can reveal general principles about brain organization and sensory systems. But he also believes "there is unappreciated beauty and elegance in the behaviors and diverse forms of these extraordinary animals". In addition to his research, Catania has authored two books aimed at a general audience: ''Great Adaptations'' (2020) and ''On the Art and Craft of Doing Science'' (2024). Catania was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2006 and in 2013 he received the Pradel Research Award in Neurosciences from the National Academy of Sciences for "highly imaginative investigations of the neural basis of sensory behavior in model organisms" and "discoveries of fundamental principles of behavior, sensory processing, and brain organization". In addition to his scientific publications, his work has also been featured in magazines such a
Scientific American
and ttp://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/32505/title/A-Nose-for-Touch/ The Scientist His discovery of a "mechanism similar to a taser" in an electric eel by absorbing the shock through his fingertips was widely covered in the popular press.

Books

* ''Great Adaptations: Star-Nosed Moles, Electric Eels, and Other Tales of Evolution's Mysteries Solved'' (Princeton University Press, 2020). ISBN 978-0-691-19525-4. * ''On the Art and Craft of Doing Science'' (Princeton University Press, 2024). ISBN 978-0-691-24926-1.

Notable awards

2014 Guggenheim Fellowship
ttp://www.macfound.org/fellows/775/ 2006 MacArthur Awardbr>2005 C. J. Herrick Award in Neuroanatomy

2003 National Science Foundation Career Award2001 Searle Scholar Award1998 Capranica Foundation Award in Neuroethology

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Catania, Kenneth C. 1965 births American neuroscientists University of California, San Diego alumni University of Maryland, College Park alumni Vanderbilt University faculty Living people MacArthur Fellows