
Find a Researcher

Robert Bowser, PhD, is Chief Scientific Officer, the John P. and Betty Van Denburgh Chair in Neuromuscular Disease, and professor and Chair of the Department of Translational Neuroscience at Barrow Neurological Institute.
Dr. Bowser is an internationally recognized leader in ALS research, contributing pioneering efforts to discover and validate biomarkers for ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases. These biomarkers have been instrumental as diagnostic biomarkers of disease and predictors of disease progression. They are also used to evaluate the effectiveness of drug treatments in clinical trials. Additional research in the Bowser Laboratory includes exploring the mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration, developing new technologies for the delivery of drugs into the central nervous system, and defining the spatial expression of genes relative to neuropathology within human tissue samples. Dr. Bowser is the founder of two biotechnology companies and owner of multiple patents around his scientific discoveries.
As deputy chief scientific officer of Barrow Neurological Institute and St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Dr. Bowser oversees all research efforts and defines research directions for the institution. Dr. Bowser is also the co-director of a national biorepository of biofluid samples from ALS patients and of a national ALS post-mortem tissue bank. These biofluid and tissue samples linked to clinical information are a critical resource in our search for the cure and used in research efforts throughout the world. Dr. Bowser participates in many clinical research studies and clinical trials to translate research findings from the bench to patients. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Sheila Essey Award, which is the highest international award for ALS research.
Dr. Bowser obtained his undergraduate degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and PhD from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. He completed fellowship training at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City and was a faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine from 1994 to 2011, rising through the ranks to full professor. He joined the faculty at Barrow in 2011.
Dr. Bowser’s research efforts are currently funded by many granting agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Defense, Target ALS, and the ALS Association (ALSA).
- Post-doctoral Fellowship, Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1992-1994
- PhD, Yale University, 1992
- BS, Carnegie Mellon University, 1987
- Society for Neuroscience
- American Society for Investigative Pathology
- American Association of Neuropathologists
- New York Academy of Sciences
- ALS Research Group
- International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
- World Federation of Neurology Research Group on Motor Neuron Diseases
- The Royal Society of Medicine
- Fellow, National Academy of Inventors, 2020
- IBM Big Data and Analytics Hero, 2016
- Sheila Essey Award for ALS Research, 2015
- NEALS NeuroBank Pioneer Award, 2015
- Arizona Innovation Challenge Award, 2015
- John and Betty VenDenburgh Chair of Neuromuscular Disease, 2012
- Scientific Advisory Board, Northeast Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Consortium, 2011
- Guest Editor, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2010
- Science Council, Association Francaise contre les Myopathies, 2009 – 2011
- ALS Association “Walk to D’Feet ALS” Service Award, 2008
- University of Pittsburgh Innovator Award, 2008
- University of Pittsburgh Innovator Award, 2006
- Pittsburgh Magazine “40 under 40” Award for young people shaping the region, 2005
- ALS Association Lou Gehrig’s Challenge Award, 2004
- University of Pittsburgh Chancellor’s Distinguished Public Service Award, 2003
- ALS Association Public Service Award, 2002
ALSUntangled #70: caffeine
Date: 06/2023
Authors: Jessica Hatch, Paul Barkhaus, Benjamin Barnes, Morgan Beauchamp, Michael Benatar, Tulio Bertorini, Robert Bowser, Mark Bromberg, Andrew Brown, Javier Mascias Cadavid, Gregory T. Carter, Nicholas Cole, Andrew J. Cole, Tyler S. Cole, Jesse Crayle, Mazen Dimachkie, David Ennist, Eva Feldman, Timothy Fullam, Terry Heiman-Patterson, Sartaj Jhooty, Todd Levine, Xiaoyan Li, Isaac Lund, Elise Mallon, Nicholas Maragakis, Christopher McDermott, Gary Pattee, Kaitlyn Pierce, Dylan Ratner, Kim Staats, Paul Wicks, Martina Wiedau, Richard Bedlack
Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease: Involvement of the choroid plexus
Date: 02/2023
Authors: Maria Čarna, Isaac G. Onyango, Stanislav Katina, Dušan Holub, Jan Sebastian Novotny, Marketa Nezvedova, Durga Jha, Zuzana Nedelska, Valentina Lacovich, Thijs Vande Vyvere, Ruben Houbrechts, Krystine Garcia-Mansfield, Ritin Sharma, Victoria David-Dirgo, Martin Vyhnalek, Kateřina Texlova, Hernan Chaves, Nadine Bakkar, Lucia Pertierra, Mojmir Vinkler, Hana Markova, Jan Laczo, Kateřina Sheardova, Marcela Hortova-Kohoutkova, Jan Frič, Giancarlo Forte, Petr Kaňovsky, Silvie Belaškova, Jiři Damborsky, Jakub Hort, Nicholas T. Seyfried, Robert Bowser
MATR3 P154S knock-in mice do not exhibit motor, muscle or neuropathologic features of ALS
Date: 02/2023
Authors: Marissa Dominick, Nicole Houchins, Vinisha Venugopal, Aamir R. Zuberi, Cathleen M. Lutz, Bessie Meechooveet, Kendall Van Keuren-Jensen, Robert Bowser, David X. Medina
ALSUntangled # 69: astaxanthin
Date: 01/2023
Authors: Timothy Fullam, Carmel Armon, Paul Barkhaus, Benjamin Barnes, Morgan Beauchamp, Michael Benatar, Tulio Bertorini, Robert Bowser, Mark Bromberg, Javier Mascias Cadavid, Gregory T. Carter, Mazen Dimachkie, Dave Ennist, Eva L. Feldman, Terry Heiman-Patterson, Sartaj Jhooty, Isaac Lund, Christopher Mcdermott, Gary Pattee, Dylan Ratner, Paul Wicks, Richard Bedlack
Moderate intrinsic phenotypic alterations in ALS/FTD iPSC-microglia despite the presence of C9orf72 pathological features
Date: 01/2023
Authors: Ileana Lorenzini, Eric Alsop, Jennifer Levy, Lauren M. Gittings, Deepti Lall, Benjamin E. Rabichow, Stephen Moore, Ryan Pevey, Lynette M. Bustos, Camelia Burciu, Divya Bhatia, Mo Singer, Justin Saul, Amanda McQuade, Makis Tzioras, Thomas A. Mota, Amber Logemann, Jamie Rose, Sandra Almeida, Fen-Biao Gao, Michael Marks, Christopher J. Donnelly, Elizabeth Hutchins, Shu-Ting Hung, Justin Ichida, Robert Bowser, Tara Spires-Jones, Mathew Blurton-Jones, Tania F. Gendron, Robert H. Baloh, Kendall Van Keuren-Jensen, Rita Sattler
- English


Robert Bowser, PhD, is Chief Scientific Officer, the John P. and Betty Van Denburgh Chair in Neuromuscular Disease, and professor and Chair of the Department of Translational Neuroscience at Barrow Neurological Institute.
Dr. Bowser is an internationally recognized leader in ALS research, contributing pioneering efforts to discover and validate biomarkers for ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases. These biomarkers have been instrumental as diagnostic biomarkers of disease and predictors of disease progression. They are also used to evaluate the effectiveness of drug treatments in clinical trials. Additional research in the Bowser Laboratory includes exploring the mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration, developing new technologies for the delivery of drugs into the central nervous system, and defining the spatial expression of genes relative to neuropathology within human tissue samples. Dr. Bowser is the founder of two biotechnology companies and owner of multiple patents around his scientific discoveries.
As deputy chief scientific officer of Barrow Neurological Institute and St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Dr. Bowser oversees all research efforts and defines research directions for the institution. Dr. Bowser is also the co-director of a national biorepository of biofluid samples from ALS patients and of a national ALS post-mortem tissue bank. These biofluid and tissue samples linked to clinical information are a critical resource in our search for the cure and used in research efforts throughout the world. Dr. Bowser participates in many clinical research studies and clinical trials to translate research findings from the bench to patients. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Sheila Essey Award, which is the highest international award for ALS research.
Dr. Bowser obtained his undergraduate degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and PhD from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. He completed fellowship training at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City and was a faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine from 1994 to 2011, rising through the ranks to full professor. He joined the faculty at Barrow in 2011.
Dr. Bowser’s research efforts are currently funded by many granting agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Defense, Target ALS, and the ALS Association (ALSA).

- Post-doctoral Fellowship, Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1992-1994
- PhD, Yale University, 1992
- BS, Carnegie Mellon University, 1987
- Society for Neuroscience
- American Society for Investigative Pathology
- American Association of Neuropathologists
- New York Academy of Sciences
- ALS Research Group
- International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
- World Federation of Neurology Research Group on Motor Neuron Diseases
- The Royal Society of Medicine
- Fellow, National Academy of Inventors, 2020
- IBM Big Data and Analytics Hero, 2016
- Sheila Essey Award for ALS Research, 2015
- NEALS NeuroBank Pioneer Award, 2015
- Arizona Innovation Challenge Award, 2015
- John and Betty VenDenburgh Chair of Neuromuscular Disease, 2012
- Scientific Advisory Board, Northeast Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Consortium, 2011
- Guest Editor, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2010
- Science Council, Association Francaise contre les Myopathies, 2009 – 2011
- ALS Association “Walk to D’Feet ALS” Service Award, 2008
- University of Pittsburgh Innovator Award, 2008
- University of Pittsburgh Innovator Award, 2006
- Pittsburgh Magazine “40 under 40” Award for young people shaping the region, 2005
- ALS Association Lou Gehrig’s Challenge Award, 2004
- University of Pittsburgh Chancellor’s Distinguished Public Service Award, 2003
- ALS Association Public Service Award, 2002
ALSUntangled #70: caffeine
Date: 06/2023
Authors: Jessica Hatch, Paul Barkhaus, Benjamin Barnes, Morgan Beauchamp, Michael Benatar, Tulio Bertorini, Robert Bowser, Mark Bromberg, Andrew Brown, Javier Mascias Cadavid, Gregory T. Carter, Nicholas Cole, Andrew J. Cole, Tyler S. Cole, Jesse Crayle, Mazen Dimachkie, David Ennist, Eva Feldman, Timothy Fullam, Terry Heiman-Patterson, Sartaj Jhooty, Todd Levine, Xiaoyan Li, Isaac Lund, Elise Mallon, Nicholas Maragakis, Christopher McDermott, Gary Pattee, Kaitlyn Pierce, Dylan Ratner, Kim Staats, Paul Wicks, Martina Wiedau, Richard Bedlack
Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease: Involvement of the choroid plexus
Date: 02/2023
Authors: Maria Čarna, Isaac G. Onyango, Stanislav Katina, Dušan Holub, Jan Sebastian Novotny, Marketa Nezvedova, Durga Jha, Zuzana Nedelska, Valentina Lacovich, Thijs Vande Vyvere, Ruben Houbrechts, Krystine Garcia-Mansfield, Ritin Sharma, Victoria David-Dirgo, Martin Vyhnalek, Kateřina Texlova, Hernan Chaves, Nadine Bakkar, Lucia Pertierra, Mojmir Vinkler, Hana Markova, Jan Laczo, Kateřina Sheardova, Marcela Hortova-Kohoutkova, Jan Frič, Giancarlo Forte, Petr Kaňovsky, Silvie Belaškova, Jiři Damborsky, Jakub Hort, Nicholas T. Seyfried, Robert Bowser
MATR3 P154S knock-in mice do not exhibit motor, muscle or neuropathologic features of ALS
Date: 02/2023
Authors: Marissa Dominick, Nicole Houchins, Vinisha Venugopal, Aamir R. Zuberi, Cathleen M. Lutz, Bessie Meechooveet, Kendall Van Keuren-Jensen, Robert Bowser, David X. Medina
ALSUntangled # 69: astaxanthin
Date: 01/2023
Authors: Timothy Fullam, Carmel Armon, Paul Barkhaus, Benjamin Barnes, Morgan Beauchamp, Michael Benatar, Tulio Bertorini, Robert Bowser, Mark Bromberg, Javier Mascias Cadavid, Gregory T. Carter, Mazen Dimachkie, Dave Ennist, Eva L. Feldman, Terry Heiman-Patterson, Sartaj Jhooty, Isaac Lund, Christopher Mcdermott, Gary Pattee, Dylan Ratner, Paul Wicks, Richard Bedlack
Moderate intrinsic phenotypic alterations in ALS/FTD iPSC-microglia despite the presence of C9orf72 pathological features
Date: 01/2023
Authors: Ileana Lorenzini, Eric Alsop, Jennifer Levy, Lauren M. Gittings, Deepti Lall, Benjamin E. Rabichow, Stephen Moore, Ryan Pevey, Lynette M. Bustos, Camelia Burciu, Divya Bhatia, Mo Singer, Justin Saul, Amanda McQuade, Makis Tzioras, Thomas A. Mota, Amber Logemann, Jamie Rose, Sandra Almeida, Fen-Biao Gao, Michael Marks, Christopher J. Donnelly, Elizabeth Hutchins, Shu-Ting Hung, Justin Ichida, Robert Bowser, Tara Spires-Jones, Mathew Blurton-Jones, Tania F. Gendron, Robert H. Baloh, Kendall Van Keuren-Jensen, Rita Sattler
- English