Last updated on: 1/2/2015 | Author: ProCon.org

Barry J. Dickson, PhD Biography

Title:
Former Scientific Director of the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
Position:
Pro to the question "Is Sexual Orientation Determined at Birth?"
Reasoning:

“We show that male [gene] splicing is essential for male courtship behavior and sexual orientation. More importantly, male [gene] splicing is also sufficient to generate male behavior in otherwise normal females. These females direct their courtship toward other females (or males engineered to produce female pheromones).

The splicing of a single neuronal gene thus specifies essentially all aspects of a complex innate behavior.”

Cell, June 3, 2005
Theoretical Expertise Ranking:
     Key Experts
MD's and PhD's in psychology, with significant post-doctorate involvement in human sexuality issues. [Note: Key Experts definition varies by sites that have this designation.]
Involvement and Affiliations:
  • Group Leader, Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 2013-present
  • Scientific Director, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMP), 2005-2013
  • Editorial Board, Trends in Neuroscience, 2003-present
  • European Molecular iology Organization (EMBO), 2003-present
  • Editorial Board, PLoS Biology, 2003-present
  • Wittgenstein Award, Austrian Science Foundation, 2005
  • Senior Scientist, IMP, 2003-2005
  • Group Leader, Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, 1998-2002
  • EMBO Young Investigator Award, 2000
  • Junior Group Leader, Zoologisches Institut der Universität Zürich, 1996-1998
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Prof. Corey Goodman, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 1994-1995
  • Helen Hay Whitney Postdoctoral Fellowship, 1994-1995
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Prof. Ernst Hafen, Zoologisches Institut der Universität Zürich, 1993-1994
  • EMBO Short Term Fellowship, 1992
  • Research Assistant, Salk Institute, 1987-1989
Education:
  • PhD, University of Zürich, Switzerland, 1992
  • BSc, University of Melbourne, Australia, 1987
  • BSc, University of Melbourne, Australia, 1984
Other:
  • Research Assistant, Epidemiology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Melbourne, 1984-1986
Quoted in:
  1. Is There a Gay Gene?