MCB Visiting Professor Haim Sompolinsky, who also runs a lab at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has been named as a recipient of the 2022 Gruber Neuroscience Prize.
Established in 2004 by the Gruber Foundation, the prestigious award celebrates crucial contributions to the field of neuroscience. This year’s award honored four computational neuroscientists, including Sompolinsky. The award citation noted that “Using mathematics, physics, statistics, and machine learning, they have generated theories, models, and computational tools that have transformed the field of neuroscience and provided profound insights into the nature of the brain and the mind.”
“I am thrilled to see Haim get this overdue recognition!,” says MCB faculty and Director of the Center for Brain Science (CBS) Venki Murthy. “He is a pioneer in computational neuroscience, having worked towards a normative and theoretical understanding of many brain phenomena well before it was even deemed necessary (and considered fashionable!). He has made deep and sustained contributions, and mentored many generations of computational neuroscientists. We in MCB, as well as the larger CBS community, are delighted for Haim. I am particularly pleased that Haim has decided to stay at Harvard full time, with a joint Professorship between Physics and MCB. We are grateful for his presence here, which catalyzes the creation of a vibrant community in this field.”
Past recipients of the Gruber Neuroscience Prize include MCB Professor Joshua Sanes in 2017.
Sompolinsky will receive an award of $500,000 in conjunction with this prize and will be honored with a ceremony at the Society for Neuroscience conference in the fall.
Congratulations to Professor Sompolinsky!
