Bruce Ames is a professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and a senior scientist at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI). He is the inventor of the Ames test, a system for easily and cheaply testing the mutagenicity of compounds. His research focuses on cancer and aging. He has authored over 500 scientific publications. He is among the few hundred most-cited scientists in all fields. His current research includes identifying agents that delay the mitochondrial decay of aging, and understanding the role of mitochondrial decay in aging, particularly in the brain. He is a recipient of the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement in 1985, the Japan Prize in 1997, the National Medal of Science in 1998, and the Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal in 2004, among many others.