Leon and Shelby endowed the Shelby White and Leon Levy Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior at The Rockefeller University in 2000, inspired by Leon’s lifelong fascination with the brain. Leon was a Trustee of the University and formed an abiding friendship with Torsten Wiesel, a Nobel Laureate and President of University from 1991 to 1998. Laboratories in the Shelby White and Leon Levy Center use the latest technological developments to reach deep insights into the function of the brain in health and disease. The center encompasses the work of more than 20 laboratories studying neural systems, neurogenetics, neurochemistry, and neural development.
From 2009 to 2023, the Foundation supported 32 Leon Levy Fellowships in Neuroscience across the University, under the leadership of Torsten Wiesel, Cori Bargmann, and Mary E. Hatten. The Rockefeller University hosted the Leon Levy Symposium in Neuroscience in 2012 and 2018. Today, postdocs from Rockefeller are eligible for the independently-awarded Leon Levy Scholarships in Neuroscience.
