PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Diane Lipscombe, professor of neuroscience, will serve as the interim director of the Brown Institute for Brain Science while John Donoghue is on sabbatical in Switzerland in 2015, Provost Vicki Colvin and Dr. Jack Elias, dean of medicine and biology, announced today.

“Diane’s time at Brown has been remarkable,” Colvin and Elias wrote in the announcement. Since arriving in 1990, Lipscombe has won numerous teaching awards, directed graduate study in neuroscience, and consistently secured funding to conduct research on the basic properties of calcium channels of neurons and their role in migraines, pain, and other conditions.

“I can’t think of a more exciting time to be a neuroscientist than now, no better place to be, and no better group of colleagues to work with than here at Brown,” Lipscombe said. “I am deeply honored to be the interim director of BIBS. The depth, breadth, creativity, and energy of the brain science community at Brown cannot be overstated. The support from Dean Elias, Provost Colvin and President Paxson, combined with the opportunity to continue to build enduring collaborations with colleagues, are essential ingredients for our continued growth.”