Eric Kandel and the Joy of Studying the Mind

The Columbia University neuroscientist, who won a Nobel Prize for his work on memory, explains why the biology of the mind continues to fascinate him.

Eric Kandel is Kavli Professor and director of the Kavli Institute for Brain Science at Columbia University, a senior investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and a SFARI investigator. His research has focused on the molecular mechanisms of memory storage. He has received 22 honorary degrees and is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences as well as the National Science Academies of Germany and France. He has been recognized with several awards, including the Albert Lasker Award, the Gairdner Award of Canada, the Wolf Prize of Israel and the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2000.