Georg Nagel

Georg Nagel arrived in Weingarten on August 24, 1953, setting the stage for a career that would fundamentally change how scientists see the nervous system. Now 73, this German biophysicist serves as a professor within the Department for Neurophysiology at the University of Würzburg. His work bridges the gap between biology and physics by studying microbial photoreceptors, those tiny light-sensitive proteins found in single-celled organisms. Nagel realized these natural sensors could be repurposed to control nerve cells with incredible precision, sparking a revolution in neuroscience.[edit]