Constantina Theofanopoulou
Constantina Theofanopoulou is the Herbert and Nell Singer Research Assistant Professor at Rockefeller University, Research Associate at Emory University and the US Department of Veteran Affairs, and Visiting Scholar at New York University. Her research aims to understand the neural circuits of complex sensory-motor behaviors that serve social communication, specifically speech and dance, and to uncover effective drug and arts-based interventions for addressing sensory-motor deficits commonly seen in brain disorders, such as Parkinson’s Disease. For her Ph.D. (Universal Ph.D. title: University of Barcelona, Duke University, and Rockefeller University), she worked on the social reward mechanisms of vocal learning, studying the role of oxytocin in vocal learning in songbirds and in human evolution of sociality, in general. These projects led her to realize that the evolution of the oxytocin/vasotocin gene family was largely misunderstood, an issue that percolated down to an inconsistent gene nomenclature. Using computational genomic tools, she shed light on the evolutionary history of these genes and proposed a universal gene nomenclature. This work laid the foundations for her current clinical projects on testing the therapeutic role of oxytocin in speech and overall motor deficits.
Her scientific findings have garnered worldwide media attention (e.g., New York Times). She has received over 20 scientific awards for her research, including her selection as a Next Generation Leader by the Allen Institute, and her inclusion in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2021. Dr. Theofanopoulou is also actively involved in disseminating science to non-scientists and supporting underrepresented minorities and women in science. Among her roles, she has served as a STEM mentor in the New York Academy of Sciences, a Council member of the Rockefeller Inclusive Science Initiative, and a Board member of the International Brain Research Organization’s Early Career Committee. Additionally, Constantina is a flamenco dancer, having performed in numerous solo and group shows worldwide; she has been awarded with the first flamenco prize by the Spanish Dance Society.
