Marie Carlen

Marie Carlen is a Professor of Neuronal Networks at the Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet. Her research focuses on the cellular and circuit mechanisms underlying cognition, particularly in the prefrontal cortex. She completed her Ph.D. in medicine at Karolinska Institutet in 2005, followed by postdoctoral studies at MIT with Li-Huei Tsai. Her lab uses optogenetics, calcium imaging, and high-density electrophysiology to study cognitive processing in rodents, aiming to map functional features of the prefrontal cortex across species. Carlen has received numerous awards, including the Wallenberg Scholar and ERC Starting Grant. She leads the 'Neural circuits of cognition' group and collaborates with institutions globally. Her work bridges basic neuroscience with translational research, addressing mental disorders linked to prefrontal dysfunction.