2021 Metcalf Cup and Prize Recipient: Steve Ramirez

At a university of outstanding teachers, Steve Ramirez, an Assistant Professor in Boston University’s College of Arts & Sciences, stands out.

In just four years with the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences and the Department of Biomedical Engineering, he has won the respect and admiration of students and colleagues alike. Students describe Dr. Ramirez as a “helpful,” “caring,” “fun,” “knowledgeable,” and even “magic” professor, who “could explain memory engrams to a three-year-old.” His nominating colleague describes him as “an innovative and passionate educator who inspires students to learn and to enter the field of systems neuroscience.”

As a teacher, Dr. Ramirez guides students on a journey breaking down scientific phenomena to basic building blocks, reassembling those blocks in new ways, and eventually proposing original concepts and experiments. They develop skills and understanding applicable to a broad array of scientific challenges.

Outside of regular courses, he supervises undergraduate students through senior honors research, directed study, Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) projects, and other academic work, as well as advising master’s and doctoral students.

Dr. Ramirez received a BA magna cum laude in Neuroscience from Boston University, a PhD in Brain and Cognitive Sciences from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an avalanche of awards, including the College of Arts & Sciences Templeton Award for Excellence in Student Advising and Mentoring, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, Forbes 30 Innovators Under 30 Award, and Smithsonian magazine’s American Ingenuity Award.

Dr. Ramirez’s appeal extends beyond campus; he is popular for media interviews, and his TED Talks video on memory garnered more than 1.1 million views.