Professors Gero Miesenböck and Stephen MacMahon are among the 46 new Fellows who have been elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences. The honour recognises outstanding contributions to the advancement of medical science, innovative application of scientific knowledge, or conspicuous service to healthcare.
Professor Stephen MacMahon is director of the new George Centre for Healthcare Innovation, a member of the Oxford Martin School. He is also James Martin Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, and an authority on the causes, prevention and treatment of common cardiovascular diseases. He has a special interest in the management of chronic and complex conditions in resource-poor settings, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. Last month, MacMahon was elected to the Fellowship for the Australian Academy of Science.
Professor Gero Miesenböck co-directs the Oxford Martin School's Programme on Mind and Machine, based at the new Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, which celebrated its official opening in late April of this year. Professor Miesenböck is the principal architect of the emerging field of 'optogenetics', which develops genetic strategies for observing and controlling the function of brain circuits with light. He uses these optical approaches to read and change the minds of fruit flies to understand how the brain controls behaviour. His current research focuses on the structure and dynamics of the brain circuits involved in sensory processing, memory and action selection. In April of this year, Miesenböck was awarded the prestigious InBev-Baillet Latour 2012 Health Prize for his pioneering research in the field of neurosciences.
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- Professor Stephen MacMahon
- Professor Gero Miesenböck
- George Centre for Healthcare Innovation
- Programme on Mind and Machine