Claire Benard

Claire Benard is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Neurobiology at UMass Chan Medical School and T.H. Chan School of Medicine. Her research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of nervous system maintenance and protection, particularly against aging and neurodegenerative disorders.

• Education: BS and PhD in Biology from McGill University.

Her lab uses Caenorhabditis elegans to study lifelong neuronal architecture preservation, circadian rhythms, and extracellular matrix remodeling. Recent work highlights pathways involving clock gene homologs (e.g., lin-42, kin-20), cell adhesion molecules (e.g., SAX-7/L1CAM), and proteoglycans in preventing age-related neural deterioration.

Key trends in her publications include:

• Elucidating roles of clock genes in circadian regulation
• Investigating extracellular matrix proteins in neuronal stability
• Mapping synaptic pruning mechanisms during circuit remodeling
• Identifying conserved molecular pathways relevant to human neurodegenerative diseases

Her lab (Bénard Lab at UQAM) has trained students who received awards such as:

• Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship
• FRQNT/FRQS Doctoral Scholarships
• NSERC Undergraduate Scholarship

She collaborates with institutions like the CERMO-FC Research Center and participates in international conferences (e.g., C. elegans meetings).