A scientist's career can often be defined by specialization, but Stephanie Palmer has taken a different path. "Digging into one system or one question for your career is a completely wonderful way to do science," she said. "It's just not how I do science."
Palmer, an associate professor at the University of Chicago, works at the intersection of biology, physics, mathematics, and computer science. Her research focuses on how animals' visual systems help them predict environmental changes. This broad interest has led her to study various subjects, from salamander prey anticipation to butterfly color vision.
Recently named one of six awardees of the Schmidt Science Polymath Program, Palmer will receive up to $2.5 million over five years to support her multidisciplinary research. The program supports creative professors with ideas that cross field boundaries. "Of all the grants and fellowships I could have applied for, I feel like this call was written for me," she stated.
Palmer attributes her wide-ranging interests to her parents—a high school English teacher mother and an aerospace engineer father—who inspired her diverse academic pursuits. After initially pursuing pre-med studies at Michigan State University, she shifted focus after discovering a passion for chemistry and physics. A Rhodes Scholarship took her to Oxford University for a DPhil in theoretical physics.
Her career trajectory changed again when conversations with neuroscience lab friends piqued her interest in unexplored questions within neuroscience. She pursued postdoctoral research designed to integrate theoretical physicists into neuroscience at the University of California, San Francisco.
At UChicago since 2012, Palmer has explored how animals make visual predictions in complex environments. Her work includes showing how salamanders use retinal calculations for predicting prey movements—a process involving both retina and brain computations.
In 2023, Palmer's expertise contributed significantly to two major initiatives launched by the National Science Foundation at UChicago: the Center for Living Systems and the National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology.
Looking ahead, Palmer plans to expand her research on neural computation evolution in butterflies' color vision and circadian rhythms in bacteria. She aims to understand how organisms adapt their computational abilities based on environmental factors.
Throughout her career, mentors have advised Palmer against diversifying too much before achieving tenure security. However, Bill Bialek from Princeton encouraged her unique approach: “He reminded me that I've always been like this...it makes you different.” Reflecting on this journey, she remarked: "When you have good math skills...this is why I wanted this job—for the intellectual freedom and joy of learning."