Karl Deisseroth, M.D., Ph.D.

AIMBE College of Fellows Class of 2017

For developing revolutionary tools for neuroengineering: optogenetics for cell-type, temporal and spatially specific neuronal activation or silencing, and Clarity for unprecedented imaging of brain tissue

Light-seeking algae gave us a switch for nerve cells

Via Nobel Foundation | October 7, 2026

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2026 is awarded for optogenetics — a method that makes it possible to show how nerve cells shape memories, feelings and behaviours in the living brain. Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel discovered a remarkable protein, channelrhodopsin, in a single-celled alga. Karl Deisseroth transformed the protein into a light-controlled switch for nerve cells. The Laureates have laid the foundation of a new era in neuroscience.

How the brain governs feelings, behaviours and bodily functions has long been a mystery. In the 20th century, researchers began to investigate which areas of the brain affect which functions, but the methods used meant they could not prove causal relationships. The image they developed of the brain was like a sketch map, full of question marks and unknowns. Now all this is changing… Continue reading.

Stanford professor Karl Deisseroth, Ph.D. ’98, M.D. ’00, wins 2026 Nobel Prize for new way to study the brain using light

Via stanforddaily | October 6, 2026

In 1992, Karl Deisseroth, Ph.D. ’98, M.D. ’00, arrived at Stanford to begin his MD-PhD training. By 2005, in a lab of his own on campus, he showed that a protein borrowed from pond algae and a flash of blue light could make cultured rat neurons fire on command.

On Monday, that work earned the professor of bioengineering and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for pioneering optogenetics — a technique that lets scientists control brain cells with light… Continue reading.

Karl Deisseroth elected to the National Academy of Engineering

Via National Academy of Engineering | February 7, 2019

National Academy of Engineering Elects 86 Members and 18 Foreign Members

The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has elected 86 new members and 18 foreign members, announced NAE President C. D. (Dan) Mote, Jr., on February 7, 2019. This brings the total U.S. membership to 2,297 and the number of foreign members to 272.

Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature” and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.”

Individuals in the newly elected class will be formally inducted during a ceremony at the NAE’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 6, 2019… Click to see the full list.