Benjamin Cravatt

Benjamin Cravatt, Ph.D., is a Professor and the Norton B. Gilula Chair in Biology and Chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI). He leads the Cravatt Lab, dedicated to advancing chemical proteomics technologies, particularly Activity-Based Protein Profiling (ABPP), to study enzyme activities in health and disease. His work bridges chemistry and biology, focusing on drug discovery for neurological disorders and cancer. Key roles include Chair of the Department of Chemical Physiology (2007–2017) and Director of the Helen L. Dorris Child and Adolescent Neuro-Psychiatric Disorder Institute.

Education:

• B.S. Biological Sciences, Stanford University, 1992
• B.A. History, Stanford University, 1992
• Ph.D. Macromolecular and Cellular Structure and Chemistry, TSRI, 1996

Research Interests:

• Development of ABPP to profile enzyme activities in vivo
• Endocannabinoid system enzymes (e.g., FAAH, MAGL) and their roles in pain, addiction, and neurodegenerative diseases
• Identifying novel therapeutic targets via chemical proteomics
• Design of small-molecule inhibitors and ligands for drug discovery

Awards & Honors:

• Member, National Academy of Sciences (2014)
• Member, National Academy of Medicine (2017)
• ACS Chemical Biology Lectureship (2017)
• Jeremy Knowles Award (2019)

Grants & Funding: Extensive NIH grants, including R35 Outstanding Investigator Award (2018) and MERIT Award (2009). Collaborates with industry and academic institutions on drug development projects.

Labs/Teams: The Cravatt Lab integrates chemistry and biology to develop novel technologies for proteome analysis and drug discovery. Key collaborations include work with the Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology and the Helen L. Dorris Institute.