Robert Bowser (MCS 1987)

2026 Alumni Achievement Award

Millions of people will one day enjoy healthier lives because of Robert Bowser's research. He is an internationally recognized leader in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research, known for his discovery and incorporation of biomarkers into ALS clinical trials. Robert’s work explores the mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration, developing new technologies for the delivery of drugs into the central nervous system and mapping genes and proteins within human post-mortem brain tissue samples.

He was a faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine before being recruited to the Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2011 to launch an ALS research center and expand his research program. He received the John and Betty VanDenburgh Endowed Chair of Neuromuscular Disease in 2012, was named chair of the Department of Translational Neuroscience in 2019, and was appointed chief scientific officer of BNI and St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in 2022.

Robert serves as the principal investigator and leader of the National ALS Clinical Research Consortium called ALL ALS, funded by the National Institutes of Health. He also leads a global natural history study of ALS and a national ALS/Frontotemporal Dementia post-mortem tissue banking program through the Target ALS Foundation, as well as additional research funded through the Department of Defense that focuses on developing ALS biomarkers for precision medicine treatments and targeting epigenetics as a therapy for ALS.

Robert and his team have published over 250 research and clinical studies in prestigious journals including Nature Medicine, Nature Neuroscience, JAMA, Neuron, New England Journal of Medicine and Nature Communications. He is also a recipient of the Sheila Essey Award for ALS Research and the Sean M. Healey International Prize for Innovation in ALS.

Robert received a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Carnegie Mellon and a Ph.D. in cell biology from Yale University. In addition to his academic roles, he co-founded three biotechnology companies — Knopp Biosciences, Iron Horse Diagnostics and nVector, Inc. — to develop diagnostics and treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. He also serves as a consultant to many biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, volunteers with patient support organizations and advocacy groups and lectures in local high schools to encourage careers in science and medicine. Robert is the current chair of ALS Arizona, a nonprofit organization that provides support services and equipment to ALS patients and families throughout the state.