Anne M. Andrews

Anne M. Andrews is an American academic, the Richard Metzner Endowed Chair in Clinical Neuropharmacology, Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry, and Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles. Andrews is known for her work on the study of the serotonin system with a special focus on how the serotonin transporter modulates complex behaviors including anxiety, mood, stress responsiveness, and learning and memory.

Career Andrews' research career has been distinguished by advancing both basic and translational research questions in chemical neuroscience. She is the leader of an interdisciplinary research team at UCLA engaged in the development of innovative nanomaterial based in vivo biosensors for neurotransmitters. In addition to the design of new tools for neuroscience, her research team has established longstanding leadership in leveraging genetic and pharmacologic animal models to interrogate the molecular basis of function in the serotonin system and how this system interacts with other neurotransmitter networks. Such studies are promising for extending understanding of anxiety disorders and neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.

Andrews' research career has focused on the neurochemistry of the brain's serotonin system. One of her goals is the design of sensors which would be broadly applicable to all neurotransmitters, and other biologically relevant small molecules. Andrews is a recipient of an NIH Director's Transformative Research Award in support of her research efforts to develop such sensors which would enable interrogating how information is encoded across diverse pathways associated with chemical neurotransmission. Andrews was one of the earliest advocates for the BRAIN Initiative and has been a longstanding advocate for importance of supporting research at the nexus of nanoscience and neuroscience to support research advances in fields including chemical connectomics.

Education, research, and service Andrews grew up in Pittsburgh and discovered her passion for science, and most especially chemistry, during her middle school science classes. She would go on to receive her B.S. in Chemistry Pennsylvania State University where during her time as a student she was an intern in the Toxicology and Forensic Pathology Departments at the Pittsburgh Coroner's Office. It was in this environment that Andrews has shared that she received a more nuanced exposure to bioanalytical chemistry, instrumentation, chromatography, and handling biological samples. the Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, and the Hatos Center for Neuropharmacology. Andrews was involved with the team proposal for the BRAIN Initiative and has also elaborated independently on the opportunities and potential associated with advancing such research frontiers, including for the study of chemical connectomics.

Notable publications

Awards National Institute of Health Director's Transformative Research Award, 2017 Elected member, American College of Neuropyschopharmacology Fellow, Collegium Internationale Neuropsychopharmacologicum Fellows Award for Research Excellence, National Institute of Health Outstanding Young Analytical Chemist Award, Eli Lilly Research Award, American Parkinson Disease Association Councillor, Serotonin Club Independent Investigator Award, NARSAD Postdoctoral Intramural Research Training Award, National Institutes of Health Predoctoral Intramural Research Training Award, National Institutes of Health Fellowship, United States Department of Education Member, Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society