Bianca Jones Marlin is a neuroscientist, the Herbert and Florence Irving Assistant Professor of Cell Research, and the Principal Investigator of the Marlin Lab at Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute. She holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the New York University School of Medicine, and dual bachelor degrees in biology and adolescent education from St. John’s University. As a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Nobel Laureate Dr. Richard Axel, she began to investigate transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, or how trauma in parents affect the brain structure and sensory experience of their future offspring. During her graduate studies, in the laboratory of Dr. Robert Froemke, Dr. Marlin examined how the brain adapts to care for a newborn. Her findings uncovered a fundamental role of the neuromodulator oxytocin during the transition to motherhood. She aims to utilize neurobiology and the science of learning to better inform both the scientific and educational community on how positive experiences dictate brain health, academic performance, and social well being.