Scott Waddell Elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences
May 12, 2021
Professor Scott Waddell FMedSci has been elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. All new Fellows are selected by the prestigious National Academy for their exceptional contributions to the advancement of medical science through innovative research discoveries and translating scientific developments into benefits for patients and the wider society.
Scott has been elected for furthering understanding of neurobiology. His group uses Drosophila to study neural circuit mechanisms of memory-directed and motivated behaviours. Amongst other findings, their research has demonstrated a previously unforeseen heterogeneity of anatomy and function within the dopaminergic system. The work also exemplifies how using genetics to acutely alter the function of smaller subsets of neurons can serve as an effective way of learning how neural circuits operate.
Scott is a founding member of the Centre for Neural Circuits & Behaviour in DPAG, a Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellow in Basic Biomedical Science, a member of EMBO, and was awarded the 2014 Liliane Bettencourt Prize for the Life Sciences.
On hearing of his election, Professor Waddell said: “I’m totally honoured and thrilled that the work of my group is recognised by my election to the Academy of Medical Sciences. I have been fortunate to work with, and mentor, many brilliant students and postdocs, in the USA and here in Oxford, and this would not have happened without them.”