Dr. Ben Barres, Stanford neuroscientist who established the importance of glial cells, died of pancreatic cancer yesterday.
Ben was a remarkable person. He will be remembered as a brilliant scientist who transformed our understanding of glial cells and as a tireless advocate who promoted equity and diversity at every turn. He was also a beloved mentor to students and trainees, a dear friend to many in our community and a champion for the fundamental dignity of us all.
--Marc Tessier-Lavigne, president of Stanford University
Barres is remembered for his trailblazing scientific work, but also for the causes he fought for. He was openly and adamantly transexual and was the first trans person admitted into the National Academies of Science. He was a tireless advocate for women in academia, and for his students. Professors often hold on to their students projects; Barre insisted they take those projects with them. He was a figure toward whom a great many other scientists felt a strong emotional bond. I found this out last night when I posted a link to Stanford's news release announcing his death on Twitter, and was blown away by the dozens of heartfelt responses.
--Mattew Herper, Forbes
The pipeline of drugs in development for #Alzheimers owes so much to Ben Barres. He was a visionary scientist and generous mentor.
--The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation
We honor and miss him for his scientific greatness & his human goodness. But his identity & his constant support for trans people & issues were deeply important & not just to him.
[H]e was more than open, he was fiery about his identity and about trans opponents. We first met when he emailed me, a law prof, to ask about suing the Nat'l Academies Press about an awful book on trans people
--Hank Greeley, Stanford law professor