Community Outreach

Gero Miesenböck

Dr. Gero Miesenböck is a Waynflete Professor of Physiology at the University of Oxford, and has held appointments at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (New York) and at Yale University. His current research focuses on the functionality of neural circuits involved in sensory processing, memory, action selection and motor pattern generation.

Dr. Miesenböck is a pioneer in the field of optogenetics, which features the ability to use light to “turn on” and “turn off” brain cells. When compared to other classes of techniques, optogenetics offers improved precision and accuracy in manipulating specific cells and their actions. Therefore, optogenetics will become an indispensable tool in developing future treatments for neurological diseases.

Enjoy Dr. Miesenböck's 2010 TED talk below: