“I lived life on my terms: I wanted to switch genders, and I did. I wanted to be a scientist, and I was . . . I stood up for what I believe in and I like to think I made an impact.” – Ben Barres
Dr. Barres was an openly transgender neurobiologist and department chair at Sandford. His research focused on the development and disease of glial cells and their myelin sheathes. Over his career, Dr. Barres published over 160 papers yet faced blatant sexism and discrimination. As a child, Ben was denied access to science and math courses, unable to explore his interests until attending a summer camp at Columbia University. He obtained his bachelors degree in biology at MIT, and his PhD at Dartmouth. Until transitioning in 1997, Ben faced consistent discrimination. After transitioning, Ben was a large advocate for women in science and shared his story to highlight inequality in science. In 2013, Ben was elected to the national academy of sciences for his contributions.