Claire Wyart facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Claire Wyart
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Claire Wyart in 2013
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| Born | 16 February 1977 |
| Citizenship | France |
| Alma mater | École Normale Supérieure University of Strasbourg |
| Awards | Chevalier of the Ordre National du Mérite |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Neuroscience, biophysics |
| Institutions | University of California, Berkeley Institut du cerveau et de la moelle épinière (current) |
| Thesis | Dynamique de l'activité spontanée dans des réseaux de neurones hippocampiques d'architecture contrôlée en culture (2003) |
| Doctoral advisor | Didier Chatenay |
Claire Julie Liliane Wyart (born 16 February 1977) is a French neuroscientist and biophysicist. She studies how our bodies move. She looks at the special circuits in our brains and spinal cords that control movement. She has also received a special award called the Chevalier of the Ordre national du Mérite.
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Her Early Life
Claire Wyart grew up in a family of scientists. Her mother, Françoise Brochard-Wyart, is a famous French physicist. Her father, Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, won a Nobel Prize in physics. Even though her father was often busy, Claire saw him as the strong person who kept their family together.
Her Education Journey
Claire Wyart went to a top school in Paris called the École normale supérieure. After that, she studied for her PhD in biophysics. She completed her PhD in 2003 at the University of Strasbourg. For her research, she studied tiny networks of brain cells.
Amazing Research and Career
After her PhD, Claire Wyart spent five years doing more research. This was at the University of California, Berkeley in the United States. She first looked at how smells affect us. Then, she used a cool method called optogenetics. This method uses light to control how brain cells work. She used it to study how zebrafish larvae move.
In 2011, Claire Wyart started her own lab in Paris. It is at the Institut du cerveau et de la moelle épinière (ICM). This is also known as the Brain and Spine Institute. Her lab gets money from different countries for its research. They study how the central nervous system (your brain and spinal cord) helps you move and keep your balance.
Discovering Spinal Cord Secrets
Her team focuses on special cells called ciliated neurons. These neurons are in contact with the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This fluid surrounds your brain and spinal cord. These neurons can sense both touch and chemicals. They send signals to the parts of the spinal cord that control movement.
Claire's team found that these neurons are important for movement. They are like a third way our bodies control how we move. Our brains and reflexes are the other two ways. These special neurons are found in many animals, including mice and monkeys. Her team also showed that these neurons can tell how much your spinal cord is bending.
Claire Wyart also helped create a computer program called ZebraZoom. It helps scientists study how zebrafish larvae behave.
Helping During the Pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Claire Wyart helped develop a test for the virus. This test used spit and saliva samples. She also helped launch a website with advice from experts. This website gave tips to the public on how to stay safe. She believes scientists should help inform everyone. This helps people make good choices and stay safe.
Sharing Science with Everyone
Claire Wyart loves to share science with others. While she was studying for her PhD, she ran a science workshop for children. She did this twice a month at a museum called the Exploradome.
After her PhD, she spent a year in Nepal and India. She taught science in Tibetan schools. She used fun experiments to help kids learn. This work won her a special award. With her team at the ICM, she still teaches kids about how living things develop. They use zebrafish larvae to show primary and middle school children.
Awards and Special Honours
Claire Wyart has received many awards for her important work.
- She won the Best Thesis Award in 2004.
- She received the "Défi Jeunes" Award for her science project in Nepal and India in 2004.
- She was given the Marie Curie Post-doctorate Fellowship from 2007 to 2010.
- She won the Irène Joliot-Curie Young Research Award in 2013.
- She was made a Chevalier de l'Ordre national du Mérite in 2014.
- She became a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) in 2019.
- She received the Richard Lounsbery Award in 2022.
See also
In Spanish: Claire Wyart para niños
