At Brown, I am the director of research strategy of the Robert J. and Nancy D. Carney Institute for Brain Science. I bring together my research background and experience in communication to serve as a liaison among the more than 100 faculty members at Brown who pursue research on the brain. I catalyze communication and scientific collaboration among diverse disciplines, particularly the intersection of the physical and life sciences, and bridging basic science with clinical research and application. I work with teams of scientists to build and sustain interdisciplinary research and training programs. In addition, I play a central role in securing private funding and developing partnerships with corporations to support our Institute initiatives. I also participate in classes and workshops to help graduate and undergraduate students communicate more clearly for both technical and lay audiences.
I am trained as a biophysicist and molecular biologist. I spent my graduate career in a small, dark room watching single molecules of RNA polymerase do their thing, through a microscope suspended by bungee cords.
Following my research training, I pursued a career in science communication. As a science journalist, my work has appeared Science, Newsweek, Wired, the HHMI Bulletin, and other venues. Before coming to Brown, I spent four years, from 2001 to 2005, as an associate editor and sole full-time writer for SAGE KE, Science Magazine's Web resource devoted to the biology of aging.
| Davenport, R.J. "Motion Circuits." HHMI Bulletin, no. Winter 2014, 2014. |
| Robson JA, Davenport RJ. "Neurotechnology: a new approach for treating brain disorders." Rhode Island medical journal (2013), vol. 97, no. 5, 2014, pp. 18-21. |
| Davenport, R.J. "Wired For Smell." HHMI Bulletin, vol. 24, no. May 2011, 2011. |
| Strauss, E. and Davenport, R. J. "SAGE KE and Other Online Sources Related to Aging." Handbook of Models for Human Aging, edited by P. Michael Conn, Elsevier, 2006, pp. 93-98. |
| Davenport RJ. "Before their time." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 24, 2005, pp. nf44. |
| Davenport RJ. "Beta blocker." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 12, 2005, pp. nf22. |
| Davenport RJ. "Bionic grandma." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 45, 2005, pp. ns3. |
| Davenport RJ. "Cleaning house." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 23, 2005, pp. nf43. |
| Davenport RJ. "Coming back for seconds." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 4, 2005, pp. nf7. |
| Davenport RJ. "Defining the diet." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 16, 2005, pp. nf31. |
| Davenport RJ. "Detour to death." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 31, 2005, pp. nf62. |
| Davenport RJ. "Dosed to death." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 6, 2005, pp. nf11. |
| Davenport RJ. "Drumming up dollars for stem cell research." Cell, vol. 123, no. 7, 2005, pp. 1169-71. |
| Davenport RJ. "Early warning." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 10, 2005, pp. nf19. |
| Davenport RJ. "Error prone." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 29, 2005, pp. nf57. |
| Davenport RJ. "Falling apart." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 26, 2005, pp. nf52. |
| Davenport RJ. "Family feud." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 34, 2005, pp. nf68. |
| Davenport RJ. "Fat-free longevity." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 30, 2005, pp. nf59. |
| Davenport RJ. "Feeling spunky With JNK." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 13, 2005, pp. nf24. |
| Davenport RJ. "Get out of the way." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 36, 2005, pp. nf71. |
| Davenport RJ. "Giant steps." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 14, 2005, pp. nf27. |
| Davenport RJ. "Good timing." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 37, 2005, pp. nf73. |
| Davenport RJ. "Hair trigger." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 27, 2005, pp. nf54. |
| Davenport RJ. "Harden my heart." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 16, 2005, pp. nf29. |
| Davenport RJ. "How low can you go?." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 11, 2005, pp. nf20. |
| Davenport RJ. "Mars and venus." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 23, 2005, pp. ns1. |
| Davenport RJ. "New age. Novel method clocks yeast longevity." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 1, 2005, pp. nf3. |
| Davenport RJ. "Not like the other." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 28, 2005, pp. nf56. |
| Davenport RJ. "Numb together." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 35, 2005, pp. nf70. |
| Davenport RJ. "Optimistic for longevity." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 17, 2005, pp. nf33. |
| Davenport RJ. "Partly cloudy." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 32, 2005, pp. nf63. |
| Davenport RJ. "Pay at the pump." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 3, 2005, pp. nf6. |
| Davenport RJ. "Plugged up." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 5, 2005, pp. nf10. |
| Davenport RJ. "Releasing the pressure." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 25, 2005, pp. nf47. |
| Davenport RJ. "Short circuit, long life." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 7, 2005, pp. nf14. |
| Davenport RJ. "Spring forward." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 20, 2005, pp. nf37. |
| Davenport RJ. "Stiff competition." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 8, 2005, pp. nf15. |
| Davenport RJ. "The skeleton goes to pot." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 21, 2005, pp. nf39. |
| Davenport RJ. "Ties that bind the brain." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 22, 2005, pp. nf40. |
| Davenport RJ. "Turning back the clock." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 40, 2005, pp. nf78. |
| Davenport RJ. "Two ways about it." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 38, 2005, pp. nf74. |
| Davenport RJ. "What controls organ regeneration?." Science, vol. 309, no. 5731, 2005, pp. 84. |
| Davenport RJ. "Will humans join the club?." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 9, 2005, pp. nf17. |
| Davenport RJ. "Will we find biomarkers of aging?." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 26, 2005, pp. nf48. |
| Davenport RJ. "Worth its salt. Elusive enzyme generates hormone that lowers blood pressure." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2005, no. 2, 2005, pp. nf5. |
| Davenport RJ. "(Data)base desires." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 30, 2004, pp. nf69. |
| Davenport RJ. "A turn from the worm." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 6, 2004, pp. nf16. |
| Davenport RJ. "A twist in an early end." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 27, 2004, pp. nf63. |
| Davenport RJ. "Acid trip." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 38, 2004, pp. nf87. |
| Davenport RJ. "Calorie restriction Un-SIR-tainty." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 19, 2004, pp. nf48. |
| Davenport RJ. "Cell death, start to finish." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 6, 2004, pp. nf17. |
| Davenport RJ. "Culture clash.A growing body of research suggests that yeast have programmed death pathways, yet many researchers are skeptical. Recent studies provide some of the first experimental evidence for why a single-celled organism would commit suicide." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 46, 2004, pp. ns9. |
| Davenport RJ. "Fanning the flames." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 40, 2004, pp. nf90. |
| Davenport RJ. "Fork in the road." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 15, 2004, pp. nf40. |
| Davenport RJ. "From womb the bell tolls." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 17, 2004, pp. nf44. |
| Davenport RJ. "Going the extra mile. Molecular manipulations turn ordinary mice into athletic stars." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 34, 2004, pp. nf79. |
| Davenport RJ. "Greasing the way for bone growth. Signaling molecule steers cells toward bone and away from fat." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 11, 2004, pp. nf30. |
| Davenport RJ. "Growing pains." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 30, 2004, pp. ns5. |
| Davenport RJ. "Hardy helper. Molecular partner urges worm protein to trigger survival pathway." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 33, 2004, pp. nf76. |
| Davenport RJ. "Homing in on a hormone.Fat-based molecules divert nematodes from survival mode." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 41, 2004, pp. nf92. |
| Davenport RJ. "Hop on board. Blueprint for fat-cell specialization hitches a ride from a shuttle protein." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 11, 2004, pp. nf29. |
| Davenport RJ. "Knife jugglers. Painkillers shift Alzheimer's protein slicer." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 39, 2004, pp. nf89. |
| Davenport RJ. "Lethal leak." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 16, 2004, pp. nf43. |
| Davenport RJ. "Long in the tooth." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 28, 2004, pp. nf66. |
| Davenport RJ. "Longevity is infectious." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 34, 2004, pp. nf78. |
| Davenport RJ. "Merging routes." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 21, 2004, pp. nf54. |
| Davenport RJ. "Natural foods.Wild-like pattern of feast and famine extends Medfly life span." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 51, 2004, pp. nf114. |
| Davenport RJ. "On trial." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 24, 2004, pp. oa1. |
| Davenport RJ. "Once more, with feeling. Hobbling glycation-detecting protein restores feeling in diabetic mice." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 51, 2004, pp. nf116. |
| Davenport RJ. "Overcoming inertia. Inflammation gives neurons a shove when a cellular brake releases." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 8, 2004, pp. nf22. |
| Davenport RJ. "Paying the price.Long-lived worms can't compete." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 48, 2004, pp. nf107. |
| Davenport RJ. "Peer pressure." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 22, 2004, pp. nf56. |
| Davenport RJ. "Picky eater. Gluttonous cellular recycler hungers for damaged proteins." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 1, 2004, pp. nf2. |
| Davenport RJ. "Plaque attack. Mice without ApoE and related protein unexpectedly accumulate beta-amyloid deposits." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 4, 2004, pp. nf12. |
| Davenport RJ. "Prey for long life. The hunted don't necessarily age quickly." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 43, 2004, pp. nf97. |
| Davenport RJ. "Regenerating regeneration.Salamanders, flatworms, and other creatures engage in dazzling feats of renewal. Now, researchers are beginning to uncover the molecular bases for these body-building tricks, hoping to decipher how humans might perform similar stunts." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 35, 2004, pp. ns6. |
| Davenport RJ. "Relay man. Molecule transmits estrogen's bone-saving signal through T cells." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 44, 2004, pp. nf98. |
| Davenport RJ. "Skeleton key. Lipid-processing enzyme weakens bones." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 2, 2004, pp. nf7. |
| Davenport RJ. "Solving the energy crisis. Signaling molecule spurs cells to generate mitochondria." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 46, 2004, pp. nf101. |
| Davenport RJ. "Tarnished vision." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 37, 2004, pp. nf85. |
| Davenport RJ. "The flavor of aging." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 12, 2004, pp. ns1. |
| Davenport RJ. "The thing that wouldn't leave." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 31, 2004, pp. nf72. |
| Davenport RJ. "Throwing fat on the fire. Mice lacking supposed insulin enabler are surprisingly lean." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 11, 2004, pp. nf27. |
| Davenport RJ. "Too much of a good thing." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 24, 2004, pp. nf58. |
| Davenport RJ. "TORquing toxins. Extra doses of movement-disorder protein guard neurons against poisons." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 1, 2004, pp. nf1. |
| Davenport RJ. "Tugging at heartstrings. Protein associated with heart abnormalities and premature aging syndrome transmits mechanical stress to the nucleus." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 5, 2004, pp. nf15. |
| Davenport RJ. "UnSIRtainty principle. Conflicting results underscore questions about how calorie restriction activates yeast longevity enzyme." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 1, 2004, pp. nf5. |
| Davenport RJ. "Wilting weed?Arabidopsis might provide new insights into workings of protein linked to a premature aging disease." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 42, 2004, pp. nf93. |
| Davenport RJ. "Young at heart.Life-extending mutation preserves fly hearts." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2004, no. 47, 2004, pp. nf105. |
| Davenport RJ. "Get wild." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2003, no. 8, 2003, pp. NS2. |
| Davenport RJ. "Immunity challenge." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2003, no. 23, 2003, pp. OA1. |
| Davenport RJ. "Power to the people." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2003, no. 50, 2003, pp. ns8. |
| Davenport RJ, Toy J. "Gero-Tech" sprouts, but will it bloom?." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2002, no. 28, 2002, pp. ns6. |
| Davenport RJ. "An untwister's new twist." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2002, no. 14, 2002, pp. nf6. |
| Davenport RJ. "Having it all after all." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2002, no. 46, 2002, pp. nf13. |
| Davenport RJ. "How a clk ticks." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2002, no. 2, 2002, pp. nf2. |
| Davenport RJ. "More than a hot flash." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2002, no. 10, 2002, pp. ns3. |
| Davenport RJ. "One for all." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2002, no. 49, 2002, pp. nf15. |
| Davenport RJ. "The plot thickens on thin bones." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2002, no. 44, 2002, pp. ns8. |
| Roberts L, Davenport RJ, Pennisi E, Marshall E. "A history of the Human Genome Project." Science, vol. 291, no. 5507, 2001, pp. 1195. |
| Davenport RJ, Strauss E, LaMarco K. "A SAGE KE Primer." Science of aging knowledge environment : SAGE KE, vol. 2001, no. 1, 2001, pp. vp1. |
| Davenport RJ. "Are we having fun yet? Joys and sorrows of learning online." Science, vol. 293, no. 5535, 2001, pp. 1619-20. |
| Davenport RJ. "Biophysical Society meeting. Crossover research yields scents and sensitivity." Science, vol. 291, no. 5511, 2001, pp. 2071-2. |
| Davenport RJ. "Online science offerings are hard to reel in." Science, vol. 293, no. 5535, 2001, pp. 1620. |
| Davenport RJ. "Taste research. New gene may be key to sweet tooth." Science, vol. 292, no. 5517, 2001, pp. 620. |
| Wuite GJ, Davenport RJ, Rappaport A, Bustamante C. "An integrated laser trap/flow control video microscope for the study of single biomolecules." Biophysical Journal, vol. 79, no. 2, 2000, pp. 1155-67. |
| Davenport RJ, Wuite GJ, Landick R, Bustamante C. "Single-molecule study of transcriptional pausing and arrest by E. coli RNA polymerase." Science, vol. 287, no. 5462, 2000, pp. 2497-500. |
Interdisciplinary Graduate Training in Brain Science (Graduate Training Fellowship)
$25,000
William H. Donner Foundation
PI: Davenport, Robert John
6/1/2012-5/30/2013
1P20GM103645-01A1
COBRE Center for Nervous System Function
NIH (NIGMS)
PI: Sanes, Jerome
08/15/2013-07/31/2018
Role: Associate Director
Total costs: $10,916,075
Although I am not directly supported by the following awards, these grants support interdisciplinary research in the Brown Institute for Brain Science. As associate director of the Institute, I have made a significant contribution towards procuring these grants, and now oversee the administration of these grants.
Collaborative Migraine Research
Association of Migraine Disorders
PI: Lipscombe, Diane
9/1/2014-8/31/2015
$100,000
Interdisciplinary Migraine Postdoctoral Fellowship
Association of Migraine Disorders
PI: Lipscombe, Diane
10/1/2014-9/30/2016
$200,000
1S10OD016366-01
Shared Instrumentation Grant: Brain Science Computer Cluster
NIH (OD)
PI: Donoghue, John P.
06/15/2013-05/14/2014
Direct Costs $599,598
RRDN9228C
Center of Excellence in Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology (Providence VA Medical Center)
VA (RR&D)
PI: Donoghue, John P.
06/01/2012-05/31/2017
Cortical control of an assistive robotic arm (RC1)
NIH (NICHD)
PI: Donoghue, JP
9/30/2009-8/31/2011
Advanced Wireless Neural Interfaces for Clinical Application
Blackrock Microsystems (TATRC subcontract)
PI: Donoghue, JP
8/1/09-7/31/10
NIH -- 1R01EB007401-01
Bioengineering Research Partnership: Implantable microsystems for human neuroprosthesis
06/01/2007 – 05/31/2012
PI: Donoghue, JP
Direct costs: $4,573,994
DARPA
Brain Reorganization and Plasticity to Accelerate Injury Recovery: Multi-Scale and Multi Mode Models Enabled by Next Generation Neurotechnology
4/1/2010-3/31/2014
PI: Arto Nurmikko (Subcontract to Stanford University)
Direct costs: $1,714,272
NIH -- 1T32 EY018080-01
Interdisciplinary Vision Training Grant
04/01/2007 - 03/31/2012
PI: Michael Paradiso
Direct costs: $907,965
ONR -- N00014-07-1-0803
Neurotechnology Center at Brown University
PI: Arto Nurmikko
03/27/2007 - 01/08/2008
Total costs: $1,174,512
DOE -- FG02-02CH11127
Equipment for MRI research
10/1/2006 - 09/30/2007
PI: Peter Shank
Direct costs: $960,139
Brown Dept of Diagnostic Imaging
Nagnetic mamoparticle hyperthermis of glioblastoma with real-time monitoring
7/1/2010-6/30/2011
PI: Edward Walsh
Direct costs: 14,569
NHLBI R01HL084178-01A1
Hemodynamic and Cognitive Function in Cardiovascular Disease
1/25/07-11/30/12
PI: Edward Walsh (subcontract to Butler Hospital, Lawrence Sweet main PI)
Direct costs: $45,788
Codman & Shurtleff
PI: Edward Walsh
Evaluation on Shunt Devices for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Compatibility
4/15/08-4/14/11
Direct costs: $27,060
TATRC
Advanced Wireless Neural Interfaces for Clinical Application
8/1/09-7/31/12
PI: John Donoghue (subcontract to Blackrock Microsystems)
Direct costs: $245,140
| Year | Degree | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | PhD | University of Oregon |
| 1992 | BA | Williams College |
Invited participant, Keck Futures Initiative: Informed Brain in a Digital World, November 2012
AAAS Mass Media Fellowship, 1999
NIH Institutional Research Trainee Award, 1993-1997
Member, Society for Neuroscience
Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science
Member, National Association of Science Writers
| Managing Director. Robert J. and Nancy D. Carney Institute for Brain Science, 2005-Present |
