Benedict C. Albensi, Ph.D., BCMAS, CRQM is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. He is best known for his work with factors involved in ageing, cognition, and Alzheimer's disease (AD), such as nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB), a mediator of inflammation but also a required molecule for memory.

He obtained his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Utah's Medical School in 1995. Subsequently, he was awarded a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, working with Drs. Faden and Pekar, where he developed MRI methods for investigating head trauma and cognition. He then went on to work as a Postdoctoral Scholar with Dr. Mark Mattson, an internationally recognized leader in neurodegenerative research, at the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging - University of Kentucky where he was the first to show NF-kB is required for hippocampal synaptic plasticity in mammals. Other appointments have included the Cleveland Clinic, NPS Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Case Western Reserve University, St. Boniface Hospital Research Ctr., and the University of Manitoba.

Over the last few years, his work has largely focused on mitochondrial dysfunction in AD. Recently, the Albensi lab has shown very early deficits and sex-based differences in mitochondrial function before the appearance of plaques and tangles, the classic hallmarks of AD. He has been ranked in the top 1% worldwide by Expertscape.com for his number of publications from 2010-2020 in 7 areas including Alzheimer Disease (0.48%), neurocognitive disorders (0.76%), tauopathies (0.98%), dementia (0.85%), NF-kappa B (0.42%), memory (68%) & energy metabolism (0.68%).

Student Research Opportunities - The Albensi lab focuses on understanding basic mechanisms of biological memory and also investigating causes of memory impairments, such as what is seen in Alzheimer's disease. Volunteers are usually welcomed if space permits. Dependent on funding, additional opportunities exist for lab technicians, PharmD students, MS or PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, and/or research associates.

Research Interests - Memory; Alzheimer's disease; Inflammation; Mitochondria; NF-kB Signaling ; Clinical trials and animal models