Winners > Prof. Dr. Kamil Uğurbil // 2016

Prof. Ugurbil was educated at Robert College, Istanbul (high school) and Columbia University, New York, N.Y. After completing his B.A. and Ph.D. degrees in physics, and chemical physics, respectively, at Columbia, he joined AT&T Bell Laboratories in 1977, and subsequently returned to Columbia as a faculty member in 1979. He was recruited to the University of Minnesota in 1982 where his research in magnetic resonance led to the evolution of his laboratory into an interdepartmental and interdisciplinary research center, the CMRR.

The work that introduced magnetic resonance imaging of neuronal activity in the human brain (known as fMRI) was accomplished independently and simultaneously in two laboratories around the world, one of which was Ugurbil's in CMRR. Since then, his primary focus has been the development and application of methods capable of obtaining high resolution and high accuracy functional and anatomical information in the human brain. This body of work has culminated in unique accomplishments, such as the first time imaging of a live human's primary visual cortex with almost microscopic accuracy, and involved the introduction and development of 7 Tesla and higher instrumentation for functional and anatomical imaging (the first 7 Tesla imaging device used on humans was developed in 1999 by CMRR). Professor Ugurbil is also one of the Co-Principle Investigators of Human Connectome Project, in which the Obama administration is highly interested. Professor Ugurbil's extraordinary body of work has been recognized by several awards and honors to date including,

- Richard Ernst Medal (ETH, Zurich)
- Election to the National Academy of Medicine, USA
- Election to the Academy of Arts and Science, USA
- Election to the National Academy of Inventors, USA
- Membership in NIH Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative Working Group
- Gold Medal, International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM)
- Human Connectome Project Award from NIH, Co-Principle Investigator
- Membership in the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- Honorary Doctorate (Doctorate Honoris Causa), Maastricht University, Netherlands
- Honorary Doctorate (Doctorate Honoris Causa), Utrecht University, the Netherlands
- Irma T. Hirschl Career Scientist Award
- Hammett Award for Original Outstanding Research
- Columbia University, Graduate Faculties Alumni Scholar

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