The International CORE Academy of Sciences and Humanities is honored to announce that Professor Francisco José Barrantes, eminent neuroscientist and Fellow of the Academy (Division of Natural Sciences), has been appointed a Member of the Academic Committee. A pioneer in membrane biophysics and neurochemistry, Professor Barrantes brings to the Academy a lifetime of scholarship on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) and membrane–protein interactions that shape synaptic function. 

The Academic Committee is a vital component of the Academy’s organizational structure, responsible for overseeing and advising on academic affairs and providing strategic guidance for the Academy’s future development. It plays a central role in upholding academic standards, nominating and electing fellowship candidates, and guiding the strategic direction of research across the Academy and its affiliated institutions. Experts with distinguished achievements and reputations in the related fields are invited to join as members of the Academic Committee. 

"A Member of the Academic Committee of the CORE Academy is a leading scholar with distinguished achievements and a high reputation in relevant fields, who serves as a strategic advisor on fellowship nominations and elections, provides guidance on scientific and academic development, and upholds the Academy’s highest scholarly standards."

As Director of the Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology at the Institute of Biomedical Research (BIOMED), Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina – CONICET (UCA–CONICET), Professor Barrantes leads a program integrating single-molecule imaging, biophysics, and cell biology to illuminate receptor dynamics in health and disease. He previously co-headed the Membrane Biophysics Group at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry with future Nobel Laureates Erwin Neher and Bert Sakmann, and has held visiting appointments at Oxford, Cambridge (MRC-LMB), and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, among others. 

Professor Barrantes's recent and classic contributions span from foundational reviews on the nAChR to contemporary studies of receptor diffusion and lipid microdomains. His publications and citation record underscore sustained global impact in molecular neuroscience and biophysics. 

Professor Barrantes is a Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Argentina and a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), the Latin American Academy of Sciences, and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. He has also been elected a Foreign Member of the Indian National Science Academy and the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. From 2010 to 2015, he served as Vice President of TWAS. He is also a recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt Research Prize, the Guggenheim Fellowship, the TWAS Medal, and numerous other honors recognizing his outstanding contributions to neurochemistry and biophysics. He has served on the Council of the International Union for Pure and Applied Biophysics (IUPAB), on multiple editorial boards in neuroscience and biophysics, and as President of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Alumni Association in Argentina.

“Across borders and disciplines, we join minds and means to build an open and rigorous global scholarly community—Advancing Knowledge for Humanity.”