NIH Director’s Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series

The NIH Director’s Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series, colloquially known as WALS, is the highest-profile lecture program at the NIH. Traditionally, lectures have occurred on most Wednesdays from September through June from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET in Lipsett auditorium, Building 10 on the NIH Bethesda campus.

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A Microbial World's View on Biological Evolution

Purificación López-García, Ph.D.
Université Paris-Saclay

Molecular approaches including sequencing of amplified marker genes, metagenomics and single-cell genomics have uncovered an astounding diversity of prokaryotes and microbial eukaryotes in natural ecosystems. Many of these correspond to previously unknown lineages lacking cultured representatives. Functional predictions from genomic sequences often reveal unsuspected metabolic capabilities.

Towards Preventative Psychotherapeutics

Kafui Dzirasa, Ph.D.
Duke University, School of Medicine

Dr. Kafui Dzirasa will present a lecture exploring how brain activity patterns govern emotional states and stress resilience. Drawing from his work in neuroengineering and psychiatry, he will explain how brain oscillations — rhythmic patterns of neural activity — encode emotional information and how disruptions in these patterns are linked to mood disorders. He will highlight how mouse models can uncover the biological basis of stress resilience, including the identification of specific molecular and circuit-level adaptations.

This page was last updated on Monday, January 6, 2025