A renowned expert in genetics and neuroscience, Dr. Joseph Takahashi studies the molecular and genetic underpinnings of circadian rhythm regulation in mammals. Appointed at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dr. Takahashi holds the Loyd B. Sands Distinguished Chair in Neuroscience and serves as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. Among his most notable achievements, Dr. Takahashi's laboratory helped uncover the genetic basis of the circadian clock by using positional cloning to locate the Clock gene in a landmark 1997 Cell article. His group also discovered a second clock gene known as Bmal1, elucidated many biological clock mechanisms, and transformed the entire field of circadian rhythm research.