DAVID FITZPATRICK
CEO & SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR, MAX PLANCK FLORIDA INSTITUTE FOR NEUROSCIENCE, JUPITER
Max Planck is a neuroscience research institution that takes a curiosity-driven approach to answering questions about the structure, function and development of the brain. The institute has about 150 employees. More than 80 of them are scientists. Max Planck has education outreach initiatives with local schools and its university partner, Florida Atlantic University. Fitzpatrick has led the institute since 2011.
| EDUCATION | Pennsylvania State University (BS), Duke University (Ph.D.) |
| FLORIDA ISSUE | The most important issue that I see facing Florida is investing in education and creating high-tech jobs. |
| ALTERNATE CAREER? | One of my favorite hobbies is nature photography, and I can imagine another life where I still studied how the world works, but through the lens of a camera, rather than that of a microscope. |
| FAVORITE VACATION | Hiking in the Dolomite Mountains of Italy |