[5] May-Britt Moser was born in the small town of Fosnavåg, Møre og Romsdal, Norway, in 1963, the youngest of five children.

May-Britt's mother told her fairytales while she was growing up and always encouraged her to work hard to make her dreams come true.

As a child, May-Britt wanted to become a doctor who traveled the world saving people, or even a veterinarian due to her love of animals.

They found it difficult to balance a PhD program with having a child, but their passion for their studies fueled them to bring their daughter along for long days in the lab.

[6] Later that year, May-Britt Moser obtained a doctorate in neurophysiology for her work recognizing correlations between the structure of the hippocampus and spatial recognition within rats.

[7] May-Britt Moser and her husband traveled briefly to the University of Edinburgh to work with Richard Morris, a neuroscientist.

She was then employed as a research fellow at the Faculty of Medicine, where she was awarded her Ph.D. in Neurophysiology in 1995 at the age of 32,[11] under the supervision of professor Per Andersen.

[15] Moser was appointed by the European Research Council as a member of one of the evaluation panels for ERC startup grants for the period 2007–2009.

Moser's work gave the ability for scientists to gain new knowledge into the cognitive processes and spatial deficits associated with human neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.

It was awarded in recognition of Moser's robust leadership, scientific achievements, and her high ethical standards, as well as her consistent focus on teamwork and community spirit.