Professor Mark Braford Retires

Professor of Biology and Neuroscience Mark Braford is retiring after having worked at Oberlin College for 27 years. He has taught introductory courses in biology and neuroscience, upper-level lecture and lab courses in neuroanatomy, senior seminars on the evolution of brain and behavior, and first-year seminars on the neurobiology of the mind (The Brain Is Wider than the Sky). He has received several teaching awards, including Educator of the Year from the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience for promotion of neuroscience education and research in 2009.

Braford has mentored the many research and honors students who have contributed to his research program in comparative neuroanatomy. That research has focused on the evolution of vertebrate forebrains and has been supported by several grants from the National Science Foundation. He has published numerous research papers, review articles, and book chapters. He has served as chair of the neuroscience department and on a number of college committees, including the Health Careers Advisory Committee, the Mediation Committee, the Educational Plans and Policies Committee, and the General Faculty Council.

Braford plans to spend the next several years finishing up several of his research projects with the support of the biology and neuroscience departments.