image: Kinsey Institute Distinguished Research Scientist Dr. C. Sue Carter
Credit: Kinsey Institute at Indiana University
Dr. C. Sue Carter, Distinguished Research Scientist and Director Emerita of the Kinsey Institute, has been awarded the 2024 Bruce McEwen Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology. This prestigious award recognizes Dr. Carter’s lifetime of pioneering research that has significantly advanced our understanding of the biological and social underpinnings of human behavior.
A career biologist, Dr. Carter specializes in the endocrinology of love and social bonds. Dr. Carter is renowned for her discovery of the critical role of oxytocin in social bonding, stress management, and emotional regulation. She was the first person to detect and define the physiology of monogamy through her research on the prairie vole, helping lay the foundation for the studies of behavioral and developmental effects of oxytocin and vasopressin in humans.
Dr. Carter's research has had a profound impact on multiple scientific fields including neuroscience, psychology, and endocrinology, helping to illuminate the complex relationship between hormones, social behavior, and mental health. She continues to collaborate widely, contributing to our knowledge of the neurobiology of social behaviors and the concept of "sociostasis," which is the capacity to use sociality to anticipate and cope with challenges across the lifespan.
The International Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology has awarded the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards for over 20 years to a distinguished line of outstanding scientists in the field of psychoneuroendocrinology, for their contributions to our understanding of brain-body interactions.
About the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University
For almost 80 years, the Kinsey Institute has been the premier research institute on human sexuality and relationships and a trusted source for evidence-based information on critical issues in sexuality, gender, reproduction, and well-being. The Kinsey Institute's research program integrates scholarly fields including neuroscience, psychology, public health, anthropology, history, and gender studies. Kinsey Institute outreach includes traveling art exhibitions, public scholarships, research lectures, and a human sexuality education program. Visit our website kinseyinstitute.org and follow us on LinkedIn.