Kohen and Impurity

As a neuroscience student I am required to hold real brains of deceased people and study them. As a bat kohen, I’m pretty sure this is permissible. But if it were my brother or father, kohanim, would they be allowed to do my degree/job?

Shalom!

Thank you for your question.

Among the precautions that Kohanim must take in order to ensure their ritual purity is the prohibition against coming into contact or even close proximity to dead bodies. Female Kohanim are generally not bound to these Kohanic laws of purity and impurity. Even a Kohen who is a minor should be educated in all the laws relating to his unique status. So too, parents of young male Kohanim are encouraged to ensure that even their young children do not compromise their status and purity requirements.

As such, you are correct that the prohibition of coming into contact with the dead only applies to male Kohanim. There are no such restrictions for female Kohanim.

A male Kohen may not be under the same roof as a dead Jewish body. Authorities are divided on whether a Kohen is permitted be under the same roof as a deceased Gentile; therefore, one should be stringent and not be under the same roof as a deceased gentile. There is no problem, however, for a Kohen to be in proximity to a deceased Gentile as long as he is careful not to touch the corpse, and it's not under the same roof. Kohanim who need to enter a hospital building should inquire whether or not there are any dead bodies currently being stored there. This is especially important in Israel.

A Kohen is only permitted to defile himself to attend the funeral of his seven closest kin. In the event that a Kohen unexpectedly happens upon a dead body, he is permitted to sit with the body and watch over it until someone else is able to take over. He may even bury the body if there is no one else to do so.

SOURCES: YD 371,372,373 and commentaries.