All were selected for their exceptional contributions to the advancement of medical science through innovative research discoveries and translating scientific developments into benefits for patients and the wider society.
Professor Heidi Johansen-Berg, from the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, was elected for her ongoing stewardship of research that focuses on how the brain changes with learning, experience and, damage. She heads up the Plasticity Group, which aims to shed light on how the healthy brain responds to change with implications for understanding and treating disease, including testing new methods for rehabilitation after a stroke.
Professor Scott Waddell has been elected for furthering our understanding of neurobiology. His group has used Drosophila to study neural circuit mechanisms of memory-directed and motivated behaviour since 2001 – their research has demonstrated a previously unforeseen heterogeneity of anatomy and function within the dopaminergic system. The work also exemplifies how acutely altering the function of smaller subsets of neurons can serve as an effective way of learning how neural circuits operate.