Anne M. Andrews facts for kids

Anne M. Andrews is an American scientist and professor. She works at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She is a professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences.

Professor Andrews is well-known for her studies on the serotonin system in the brain. Serotonin is a chemical that helps control many things. Her research looks at how the serotonin transporter affects feelings like anxiety, mood, and how we handle stress. She also studies how it impacts learning and memory.

What She Does

Professor Andrews leads a research team at UCLA. They create new and tiny sensors using special materials called nanomaterials. These sensors help them study neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) inside living things.

Her team also studies the serotonin system using animal models. They look at how genes and medicines affect this system. They also explore how serotonin works with other brain chemical networks. This research helps us understand conditions like anxiety disorders and brain diseases. These diseases include Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.

One of Professor Andrews' main goals is to design sensors that can be used for all types of neurotransmitters. These sensors would help scientists understand how information is sent across different brain pathways. She received a special award, the NIH Director's Transformative Research Award, for this work. She has also supported the BRAIN Initiative. This project aims to understand the human brain better. She believes that combining nanoscience (the study of tiny things) and neuroscience (the study of the brain) can lead to big discoveries.

Her Journey in Science

Anne Andrews grew up in Pittsburgh. She found her love for science, especially chemistry, in middle school. She went on to get her bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Pennsylvania State University. While there, she interned at the Pittsburgh Coroner's Office. This experience taught her a lot about studying chemicals in biological samples.

After college, she worked as a chemist. Later, she earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from American University. Her research for her Ph.D. was done at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). She was a special fellow during her studies.

After getting her doctorate, she continued her research at NIMH. She was a leader in early studies on animals that had problems with their serotonin transporters. She also found a new chemical that affected serotonin. Before joining UCLA, Professor Andrews was a faculty member at Pennsylvania State University.

Professor Andrews also helps the scientific community. She is an editor for the ACS Chemical Neuroscience journal. She is also the President-elect of the International Society for Serotonin Research. She is a member of several other important scientific groups. At UCLA, she is part of the California Nanosystems Institute.

Awards She Has Won

• National Institute of Health Director's Transformative Research Award, 2017
• Elected member, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
• Fellow, Collegium Internationale Neuropsychopharmacologicum
• Fellows Award for Research Excellence, National Institute of Health
• Outstanding Young Analytical Chemist Award, Eli Lilly
• Research Award, American Parkinson Disease Association
• Councillor, Serotonin Club
• Independent Investigator Award, NARSAD
• Postdoctoral Intermural Research Training Award, National Institutes of Health
• Predoctoral Intermural Research Training Award, National Institutes of Health
• Fellowship, United States Department of Education
• Member, Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society