Dan Cox is Dean of Natural Sciences in The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (The College) and Professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University. He received his B.S. in Biology from Wake Forest University and his Ph.D. in Cell Biology from Duke University where he was an NIH pre-doctoral fellow. He conducted his postdoctoral training as a Jane Coffin Childs Fellow for Medical Research and HHMI Research Associate at the University of California, San Francisco. Cox began his independent faculty career at George Mason University with appointments in the Dept. of Molecular & Microbiology, Dept. of Molecular Neuroscience, School of Systems Biology, and the Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study. He was recruited to Georgia State University (GSU) in 2014 with appointments in the Neuroscience Institute and the Dept. of Biology. He held numerous leadership roles at GSU, including Director of the Center for Neuromics, Director of the 2CI Neurogenomics Fellowship Cluster, Director of the Imaging Core Facilities, Director of Graduate Studies in Neuroscience, Director of the Neuroscience Institute, Director of the Brains & Behavior University Area of Focus, Dean’s Faculty Associate for Tenure Track Faculty Development and Review, and most recently was the Associate Dean for Research & Graduate Studies (ADRGS) in the College of Arts & Sciences.
As a scholar, he leads a robust, internationally recognized research program focused on two key questions in contemporary neuroscience: (1) uncovering cellular and molecular programs driving neuronal diversity and circuit construction and (2) elucidating the mechanistic underpinnings by which ensemble neural activity govern behavior, with an emphasis on pain perception, sensory neuropathies, and multimodal sensory processing. His independent research laboratory has been continuously funded by the NIH for 20 years.
Cox has an extensive track record of advancing student success through innovative pedagogies, a deep commitment to supporting interdisciplinary research, and is passionate about mentoring at all career stages from students to faculty.