Alison Goate

Alison M. Goate is the Jean C. and James W. Crystal Professor and Chair of the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She serves as Director of the Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and faculty at the Icahn Genomics Institute. Her three-decade career has focused on neurodegenerative disease genetics, including pioneering discoveries of causal mutations in Alzheimer's and Frontotemporal Dementia.

• Current affiliations: Genetics & Genomic Sciences Chair, Neuroscience Professor, Neurology Professor, Icahn Genomics Institute
• Education: DPhil (Doctor of Philosophy)

Her research spans:

• Alzheimer's disease genetics via GWAS and whole-genome sequencing
• Microglial enhancer networks and TREM2/SPI1 risk factors
• CRISPR-based iPSC modeling of tauopathies
• Therapeutic development targeting ApoE4 and MS4A variants
• Genetic overlaps between alcohol use disorder and neurodegeneration

Recent publications highlight integrative approaches to 17q21.31 inversion effects, CASP8 intronic expansions in AD, and xenotransplantation models for myeloid studies. She leads multiple NIH-funded projects including U19AG069701 and U54NS123746.

Scientific honors include:

• Potamkin Award (American Academy of Neurology)
• Khalid Iqbal Lifetime Achievement Award
• Rainwater Prize
• MetLife Award
• Elected Fellow, National Academy of Medicine (2016)
• Elected Fellow, AAAS (2012)

Laboratory studies combine human iPSC-derived microglia with mouse models to validate genetic findings, supported by major foundations and institutions. Current team includes 24 members across graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and associate researchers.