Patricia F. Maness, Ph.D., received her doctorate in Biochemistry in 1975 from the University of Texas. She was an Anna Fuller Fund Postdoctoral Fellow from 1978-1980 at the Rockefeller University in the laboratory of Dr. Gerald M. Edelman, and Assistant Professor until 1980. Since then Dr. Maness has served on the faculty of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine-Chapel Hill, where she is currently Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics.

She is a member of the UNC Neuroscience Center, UNC Neurological Disorders Research Center, and Curricula in Neurobiology and Toxicology. Dr. Maness' research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms governing development of the mammalian nervous system; specifically, mechanisms of axon guidance and their disruption in neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, mental retardation, and autism. Dr. Maness has received national recognition for her research, including the Jefferson-Pilot Award in Academic Research, NIH Career Development award, and a Hilton Distinguished Investigator Award from the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD).