DAVID FITZPATRICK

CEO & SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR, MAX PLANCK FLORIDA INSTITUTE FOR NEUROSCIENCE, JUPITER

For 14 years, Fitzpatrick has led MPFI, a nonprofit neuroscience research organization that studies how the brain works and how complex neural circuits give rise to perception, cognition and behavior. In addition to its research, it engages in extensive community outreach, visiting schools and classrooms to help inspire the next generation of scientists. It has about 140 employees.

EDUCATION: Pennsylvania State University (BS), Duke University (Ph.D.)

FIRST JOB: In high school, I had a job cleaning cages and feeding dogs and cats for a veterinary hospital. After doing this for several years, I was given the opportunity to learn how to deliver medications and assist with X-rays. … This job helped to spark my interest in pursuing a career in the biological sciences.

DREAM ALTERNATE CAREER: Nature photography. In another life, I could easily imagine exploring the wonders of the world not through a microscope, but through the lens of a camera — still driven by the same curiosity to understand how things work.

NONPROFIT PASSION: I support the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Union of Concerned Scientists. Now more than ever, science is facing unprecedented attacks on our funding and academic freedom. These organizations help advocate for a strong research industry, and I am proud to support their work.