Stephen Heinemann

He was an early researcher in the field of molecular neuroscience, contributing to the current knowledge of how nerves communicate with each other, and the role of neurotransmitters.

[2] His uncle, Emil Julius Klaus Fuchs, a physicist and spy who contributed to the development of the atomic bomb, influenced Heinemann's interest in science.

[1] Heinemann graduated from Caltech with a bachelor's degree in 1962, and in 1967, he earned a PhD in biochemistry at Harvard University under the mentorship of Matt Meselson, a well known geneticist and molecular biologist.

[1] He joined the Salk Institute in 1970, where he founded the department of molecular neurobiology, which soon became known as one of the world's top research centers in the field.

Heinemann's work included identifying the key structural elements of the receptor proteins that allow them to recognize signal molecules and enact change in the cell.

[6] As shown by Heinemann, NMDA receptors differ in that they allow significant amounts of calcium to enter the cell rather than just sodium.

Heinemann's most notable contribution to the study of glutamate as a major excitatory neurotransmitter was to identify and replicate the DNA sequences for each of many of these receptors and their subunits.

Additionally, he was awarded the Julius Axelrod Prize from the Society for Neuroscience in 2010 because of his research involving neuropharmacology, as well as his commitment to mentoring future scientists.