Daniel Wolpert facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Daniel Wolpert
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| Born | 8 September 1963 England
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| Nationality | British |
| Citizenship | UK |
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| Spouse(s) | Mary Anne Shorrock |
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| Thesis | Overcoming time delays in sensorimotor control (1992) |
| Doctoral advisor | John Stein |
| Doctoral students | Sarah-Jayne Blakemore |
Daniel Mark Wolpert is a British medical doctor, neuroscientist, and engineer. He has made very important discoveries in computational biology. This field uses computers to understand how living things work. He was a professor at the University of Cambridge and is now a professor at Columbia University.
Early Life and School
Daniel Wolpert was born on September 8, 1963, in England. He went to school at the Hall School and Westminster School. Later, he started studying mathematics at the University of Cambridge. But after one year, he switched to medicine. He felt that medical students were having more fun!
He earned his first degree in medical sciences in 1985. Then, he completed his medical doctor degree in 1988. In 1992, he earned his PhD in physiology from the University of Oxford. Physiology is the study of how living things and their parts work.
Career in Science
After finishing his studies, Daniel Wolpert became a researcher. From 1992 to 1995, he worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). There, he focused on computational neuroscience. This area uses math and computers to understand the brain.
In 1995, he joined University College London as a lecturer. He studied how our brains control movement. He became a full professor there in 2002. In 2005, he moved to the University of Cambridge as a Professor of Engineering.
From 2013, he also held a special research professorship from the Royal Society. The Royal Society is a very old and respected group of scientists. In 2018, he moved to Columbia University. He is now a Professor of Neurobiology there. His work helps us understand how the brain plans and carries out movements.
Awards and Special Honors
Daniel Wolpert has received many awards for his important work.
- In 2004, he became a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. This is a big honor for medical scientists.
- In 2005, he gave the Crick Lecture, a special talk named after a famous scientist.
- In 2010, he received the Golden Brain Award. This award is given to scientists who make major discoveries about the brain.
- In 2012, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. This means he is recognized as one of the top scientists in the United Kingdom.
- In 2021, he received the Royal Society Ferrier Medal and Lecture.
Family Life
Daniel Wolpert's father was Lewis Wolpert. He was also a well-known scientist who studied how living things develop and change over time.
Daniel Wolpert married Mary Anne Shorrock in 1990. They have two daughters.
