Clark appointed as director of the Yale Quantitative Biology Institute

Dear Colleagues, 

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Damon A. Clark as the new director of the Yale Quantitative Biology Institute (QBio), effective July 1, 2025. 

Damon will succeed Paul Turner, who has served as the director since 2021. Damon, a professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, and in the Departments of Physics and Neuroscience, brings a strong foundation of interdisciplinary scholarship that spans physics, neuroscience, and computational biology. He received his A.B. in physics from Princeton University and his Ph.D. in physics from Harvard University, where he studied neural encoding in C. elegans. During his postdoctoral work at Stanford University, he investigated early visual processing in Drosophila. 

His research at Yale focuses on how small networks of neurons perform sophisticated computations that guide behavior, combining algorithmic and mechanistic approaches. Damon's lab employs detailed behavioral measurements, novel sensory stimuli, genetic tools, in vivo imaging, and quantitative modeling to investigate neural circuit function. His contributions to the field have been recognized with a Searle Scholar Award, an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship in Neuroscience, and a Smith Family Award. 

Damon's leadership and expertise across physics and biological research make him exceptionally positioned to lead QBio. Established in 2017, QBio comprises twelve research laboratories dedicated to integrating analytic tools from across disciplines, including physics, mathematics, engineering, biology, and computer science, to further our understanding of biological systems from molecules to ecosystems. 

I extend my deepest gratitude to Paul for his dedicated service to Yale’s scientific community as QBio director. Please join me in thanking Paul for his outstanding leadership and in congratulating Damon on his new role. 

Sincerely,  Michael C. Crair  

Vice Provost for Research