Haim Sompolinsky, a professor in residence in Harvard’s Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Department of Physics and a member of the Center for Brain Science, has received the Brain Prize for his pioneering contributions to computational and theoretical neuroscience.

The honor is considered the world’s most prestigious for neuroscience research. This year’s prize is shared by Sompolinsky, Larry Abbott of Columbia University, and Terrence Sejnowski of the Salk Institute. All three scientists have helped uncover key principles governing the structure and function of the brain and the emergence of cognition and behavior, according to the Lundbeck Foundation in Denmark, which awards the prize.

Venkatesh Murthy, the Paul J. Finnegan Family Director of the Center for Brain Science, said, “There are few who lay the foundation for a growing field, but that’s what Sompolinsky has done for theoretical neuroscience. He brought approaches from physics to understand various ways a network of neurons can interact, which has led to an understanding of how brains can store and retrieve memories, how a brain knows which direction its head is pointing, and how a proper balance between excitatory and inhibitory neurons can be maintained in our brains.”

Excerpt taken from Harvard Gazette. Read the full story here.