University of California, Davis, Chancellor Gary S. May has named Professor Karen Bales as director of the California National Primate Research Center, or CNPRC, effective Jan. 1, 2026.
Bales, a professor in the Departments of Psychology and of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior has served as interim director of CNPRC since January 2024.
“Karen Bales has demonstrated exceptional leadership as interim director, and I am pleased to see her officially step into this role,” May said. “She is a world-class scientist who understands the profound impact of the research at the CNPRC. I am confident she will continue to steward the center’s resources to improve both human and animal health.”
As one of seven National Primate Research Centers supported by the National Institutes of Health, CNPRC offers extensive resources and expertise enabling breakthrough discoveries that enhance human and animal health. Scientists at the center deliver insight related to aging, neuroscience and social behavior, environmental challenges such as the effects of wildlife smoke, emerging infectious diseases and more.
“Since its founding more than 60 years ago, the center has delivered an extensive list of discoveries and innovations influencing a broad range of biomedical advancements and research using non-human primates which remains essential to addressing our most significant health challenges,” said Simon Atkinson, vice chancellor for research at UC Davis. “Professor Bales brings a unique combination of direct experience, expertise and leadership to extend the center’s impact moving forward.”
Bales will oversee the NIH-funded institution with over 300 employees, staff, faculty, and trainees, as well as a colony of nearly 5000 non-human primates while ensuring the fiscal and operational success of research and administrative functions. She will play an active role in fostering responsible actions and stewardship in the center’s educational, research and outreach efforts and creating a broader community for the center. Utilizing principles of shared governance, Bales will continue to work with the faculty to set research direction and build a thriving academic research enterprise.
“I have been at the CNPRC for 21 years, and understand how special it is,” said Bales. “I am excited to work with our world-class faculty and staff to improve our organizational flexibility to meet upcoming challenges; to support critical and life-changing science; and to be at the forefront of advances in animal welfare.”
Leadership over the years
A UC Davis faculty member since 2004, Bales has held various leadership roles and brings with her a wealth of experience and knowledge to carry forward to this new role.
She has previously served as the leader for the center’s Neuroscience and Behavior unit, where she represented the unit on the Research Advisory Committee meetings, and during grant renewals. She has also held the position of Vice Chair for the Department of Psychology and has been actively involved in leadership roles within the Academic Senate at both university and system levels.
Her leadership extends to the national level, having served as the President of the American Society of Primatologists for two years and as Editor-In-Chief of the American Journal of Primatology for nearly eight years, tenures which contributed to significant impact.
“We are very pleased to have Karen leading the California National Primate Research Center at UC Davis,” said Mary Croughan, provost and executive vice chancellor. “She is a highly accomplished researcher with decades of experience and incredible depth of knowledge that directly applies to the center’s mission. Under Karen’s leadership, CNPRC will continue its vital work advancing scientific understanding and conducting research that improves lives.”
Areas of research
At the Bales Lab, she studies the physiology, neurobiology and development of social bonding, particularly in monogamous species. Bales works with prairie voles, titi monkeys and seahorses, all species in which males and females form pair-bonds, and males provide pre- or post-natal care for infants. In particular, she is interested in the role of neuropeptides such as oxytocin and vasopressin in these behaviors, as well as the effects of early experiences on the development of these behaviors. Her research (funded by the National Institute of Mental Health) focuses on the role of the kappa opioid and oxytocin system in social buffering and separation. A multi-million dollar NIH grant helps her investigate important questions about how oxytocin, opioids, and other neurohormones interact with social behavior. Her research in nonhuman primates provides valuable insights into questions about social bonds in humans.
Bales received her bachelor’s and master’s degree in anthropology from the University of New Orleans and the University of Tennessee, and a doctorate in biology from the University of Maryland.
About CNPRC
The California National Primate Research Center, or CNPRC, is an Organized Research Unit at UC Davis and part of the National Primate Research Centers Program at the National Institutes of Health. The center has both external and internal oversight to ensure the highest quality and ethical care for animals and cutting-edge scientific research critical to human and animal health.