Barbara E Ehrlich

Barbara E. Ehrlich is a professor at Yale University in Pharmacology and Cellular and Molecular Physiology, focusing on membrane ion channels' biophysics, particularly polycystin-2, the inositol trisphosphate receptor, and the ryanodine receptor. Born in 1952 in New London, CT, she grew up in Newport, RI, attended Brown University for an ScB in Applied Mathematics and Biology, and earned her PhD from UCLA in 1979 on bipolar disorder-related membrane transport.

Ehrlich's career began at Brown University with Helen Cserr, followed by postdoctoral work at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Marine Biological Laboratory. She joined the University of Connecticut as a professor for 11 years, where she introduced "Molecular Hermeneutics," blending scientific inquiry with philosophical interpretation.

At Yale since 1997, her research centers on intracellular calcium regulation using calcium imaging and electrophysiological techniques to study channels involved in diseases like polycystic kidney disease. She has received numerous awards and held leadership roles in various scientific organizations.

Ehrlich was married to Lawrence B. Cohen and is now married to Stuart M. Johnson, splitting her time between New York City and New Haven.