Professor Karen Bales has been appointed director of the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) at University of California, Davis, effective January 1, 2026. The announcement was made by Chancellor Gary S. May.
Bales, a professor in the Departments of Psychology and Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, has served as interim director 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.”
The CNPRC is one of seven National Primate Research Centers supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It provides resources and expertise for research on aging, neuroscience, social behavior, environmental challenges such as wildfire smoke effects, emerging infectious diseases and other areas. The center’s scientists work on projects that aim to enhance both human and animal health.
“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.”
In her new role, Bales will oversee an NIH-funded institution with over 300 employees—including staff, faculty and trainees—and nearly 5,000 non-human primates. She will be responsible for ensuring operational success across research and administrative functions while fostering responsible stewardship in educational outreach efforts. Bales plans to collaborate with faculty through shared governance principles to set research direction.
“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.”
Bales joined UC Davis in 2004. Her previous roles include leading CNPRC’s Neuroscience and Behavior unit—where she represented it on advisory committees—and serving as Vice Chair for the Department of Psychology. She also held leadership positions within the Academic Senate at both university- and system-wide levels.
Nationally, Bales was President of the American Society of Primatologists for two years and Editor-In-Chief of the American Journal of Primatology for almost eight years.
“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.”
At her laboratory—the Bales Lab—she studies physiology, neurobiology and development related to social bonding in monogamous species such as prairie voles, titi monkeys and seahorses. Her focus includes neuropeptides like oxytocin in pair-bonding behaviors as well as how early experiences shape these behaviors over time. Her NIH-funded projects explore how neurohormones interact with social behavior in nonhuman primates—a line of inquiry that may inform understanding about social bonds among humans.
Bales holds degrees from University of New Orleans (bachelor’s), University of Tennessee (master’s) in anthropology, as well as a doctorate from University of Maryland in biology.
The CNPRC is an Organized Research Unit at UC Davis—part of NIH’s National Primate Research Centers Program—with oversight systems designed for ethical care standards in animal-based biomedical science.
UC Davis began operations in 1908 focused on agriculture before developing into a public research university offering programs across disciplines including agriculture [https://limpar.locallabs.com/organizations/ad5bdc92-9477-45be-a7f3-c319c4987925], veterinary medicine [https://www.ucdavis.edu/], engineering [https://www.ucdavis.edu/], biological sciences [https://www.ucdavis.edu/] among others [https://www.ucdavis.edu/]. The university emphasizes education [https://www.ucdavis.edu/], research [https://www.ucdavis.edu/]and public service addressing issues such as health [https://www.ucdavis.edu/]and environmental concerns[https://www.ucdavis.edu/]. It operates globally through programs tackling climate change[https://www.ucdavis.edu/]and food security[https://www.ucdavis.edu/].