In the year 2000, Patrick J. McGovern ’59 alongside Lore Harp McGovern rendered an exceptional contribution to create the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, motivated by their profound inquisitiveness regarding the human intellect and their conviction in science’s capacity to transform lives. Their $350 million commitment originated from a straightforward yet ambitious vision: to comprehend the human brain in all its intricacy and to utilize that knowledge for the enhancement of humanity.
After twenty-five years, the McGovern Institute remains a symbol of the effectiveness of interdisciplinary cooperation, persistently advancing our knowledge of the brain and elevating the quality of life for individuals around the globe.
From the inception
“This is, by any standard, a truly monumental occasion for MIT,” expressed MIT’s 15th president, Charles M. Vest, during his introductory speech at a 2000 event to honor the McGovern donation agreement. “The establishment of the McGovern Institute will initiate one of the most significant and groundbreaking scientific missions of this century, which will undoubtedly become a key component of MIT’s scientific contributions in the years to come.”
Vest appointed Phillip A. Sharp, MIT’s Institute professor emeritus of biology and a Nobel laureate, to oversee the institute and designated six MIT professors — Emilio Bizzi, Martha Constantine-Paton, Ann Graybiel PhD ’71, H. Robert Horvitz ’68, Nancy Kanwisher ’80, PhD ’86, and Tomaso Poggio — to embody its founding faculty. Construction commenced in 2003 on Building 46, a 376,000 square foot research facility situated at the northeastern perimeter of the campus. MIT’s new “gateway from the north” would ultimately accommodate the McGovern Institute, the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, and MIT’s Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences.
Robert Desimone, the Doris and Don Berkey Professor of Neuroscience at MIT, replaced Sharp as director of the McGovern Institute in 2005, and assembled a prestigious lineup of 22 faculty members, including a Nobel laureate, a Breakthrough Prize recipient, two National Medal of Science/Technology honorees, and 15 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
A quarter-century of advancement
On April 11, 2025, the McGovern Institute commemorated its 25th anniversary with a half-day symposium that included presentations from MIT Institute Professor Robert Langer, alumni speakers from various McGovern laboratories, and Desimone, who is celebrating his 20th year as director of the institute.
Desimone emphasized the institute’s recent breakthroughs, such as the creation of the CRISPR genome-editing system, which has led to the world’s inaugural CRISPR gene therapy that has been approved for human use — a remarkable milestone that signals the dawn of a new era in transformative medicine. Furthermore, McGovern researchers achieved significant accomplishments, including the development of the first prosthetic limb entirely operated by the body’s nervous system; a flexible probe that interfaces with gut-brain communication; an expansion microscopy method that enables biology labs globally to conduct nanoscale imaging; and advanced computational models illustrating how we perceive, hear, use language, and contemplate the thoughts of others. Equally revolutionary has been the McGovern Institute’s contributions to neuroimaging, unveiling the structure of human cognition and identifying markers that indicate the early onset of mental disorders prior to the manifestation of symptoms.
Collaboration and open science
“I am frequently asked what distinguishes us from other neuroscience institutes and programs globally,” states Desimone. “My response is straightforward. At the McGovern Institute, the collective surpasses the individual components.”
Numerous discoveries at the McGovern Institute have thrived on partnerships across various labs, encompassing biological engineering, human brain imaging, and artificial intelligence. In contemporary brain research, significant breakthroughs frequently rely on the collaborative expertise of individuals specializing in neurophysiology, behavior, computational analysis, neuroanatomy, and molecular biology. McGovern faculty and graduate students represent over a dozen different MIT departments, and this collaboration has resulted in insights and innovations that are substantially greater than what any solitary discipline could accomplish independently.
Also integral to the McGovern ethos is a commitment to open science, where newly developed technologies are shared with colleagues worldwide. Through collaborations with medical facilities, for instance, McGovern researchers are evaluating their tools and therapeutic interventions in clinical environments, expediting their findings into practical solutions.
The McGovern heritage
Countless scientific publications have originated from McGovern laboratories in the past 25 years, yet most faculty would contend that it is the people — the emerging researchers — who genuinely characterize the McGovern Institute. Acclaimed faculty members frequently draw the brightest young talents, yet many McGovern faculty also act as mentors, fostering a diverse and dynamic scientific community that is establishing the global benchmark for brain research and its applications. Kanwisher, for instance, has mentored over 70 doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers who have progressed to become leading scientists worldwide. Three of her former students, Evelina Fedorenko PhD ’07, Josh McDermott PhD ’06, and Rebecca Saxe PhD ’03, the John W. Jarve (1978) Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, are now her colleagues at the McGovern Institute. Other McGovern alumni shared anecdotes of mentorship, scientific discovery, and real-world impact at the 25th anniversary symposium.
As they look to the future, the McGovern community is increasingly dedicated to deciphering the enigma of the brain and making a significant difference in the lives of individuals on a worldwide scale.
“By fostering collaborative science, open dialogue, and interdisciplinary partnerships,” remarks institute co-founder Lore Harp McGovern, “our culture illustrates how individual expertise can be enhanced through collective endeavor. I take great pride in being the co-founder of this remarkable institution — onward to the next 25 years!”