It is a remarkable achievement for King’s that we have two new Royal Society Fellows this year. I extend my congratulations to Peter and Oscar who are world-class talents and leaders in their fields.
Professor Shitij Kapur, President & Principal of King's College London
10 May 2022
Two IoPPN researchers become Fellows of the Royal Society
Professors Peter Goadsby and Oscar Marín, both of the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience’s (IoPPN) School of Neuroscience, have been elected as Fellows of the Royal Society.
The Royal Society is a Fellowship of many of the world’s most eminent scientists and the oldest academy in continuous existence. Each year up to 52 Fellows and up to 10 Foreign Members are elected from a group of around 800 candidates who are proposed by the existing Fellowship, in recognition of their exceptional contributions to science, engineering and medicine.
The announcement of Professor Goadsby and Professor Marín as new Fellows brings the total number to eight currently based at King's College London.
Professor Sir Simon Wessely, Regius Chair of Psychiatry and Interim Executive Dean, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, remarked, “The double elections of Professor Goadsby and Professor Marin to the Royal Society are testaments to the excellence of their research in migraine and neurodevelopmental biology. We are immensely proud of their contributions both to their respective fields as well as to the IoPPN, and I look forward to celebrating this well-deserved recognition with them and the IoPPN community.”
Professor Mark Richardson, Head of School of Neuroscience, added "This is a historic moment for the School of Neuroscience. Peter and Oscar are two world-class scientists whose work has revolutionised their fields. Peter’s work has encompassed fundamental discoveries about migraine mechanisms through to the successful trialing of novel therapies; while Oscar has revealed the developmental mechanisms underlying the wide diversity of neurons and how this relates to disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. Their extraordinary work provides insights into the workings of the brain and important benefits for people affected by brain disorders.”
Professor Peter Goadbsy
Professor Goadsby is the Director of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)-Wellcome King’s Clinical Research Facility, as well as a Professor of Neurology in the School of Neuroscience. In a career that has spanned four decades, he is one of the leading researchers exploring the science behind migraine and cluster headache. He has continually sought to understand the mechanisms behind migraine, often challenging accepted opinion in an effort expand our understanding of an illness which affects about 1 in 6 people.
In 2021, Professor Goadsby was one of a group of four scientists awarded the Brain Prize - one of the world’s most prestigious awards in neuroscience – in recognition of his pioneering research that led to the development of entirely new and effective classes of migraine treatments.
Professor Peter Goadbsy said, “This is an amazing honour that has only happened with the help of many patients, collaborators, colleagues and students with whom I have worked. I am deeply grateful to everyone, and so pleased to be part of headache science coming of age and improving patients’ lives.”
Professor Oscar Marín
Professor Oscar Marín is a leading neurobiologist who has dedicated his career to advancing our understanding of the neural circuits underlying the formation of functional networks in the brain. Professor Marín made a series of influential discoveries concerning the specification, migration, and wiring of neurons (especially inhibitory interneurons) in the cerebral cortex.
His work in interneurons led to the revision of concepts deeply rooted in textbooks regarding the origin and migration of neurons. These discoveries have transformed our understanding of the mechanisms controlling the organisation of the cerebral cortex and illuminate current research on the cause of neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders.
Professor Oscar Marin, Director of the MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Director of the Centre for Developmental Neurobiology and a Professor of Neuroscience said, "I am elated — being elected a Fellow of the Royal Society is a very special recognition. It pays tribute to the hard work of current and past members of my laboratory, to whom I am extremely thankful.”
It is an honour to welcome so many outstanding researchers from around the world into the Fellowship of the Royal Society. Through their careers so far, these researchers have helped further our understanding of human disease, biodiversity loss and the origins of the universe. I am also pleased to see so many new Fellows working in areas likely to have a transformative impact on our society over this century, from new materials and energy technologies to synthetic biology and artificial intelligence. I look forward to seeing what great things they will achieve in the years ahead.
Sir Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society
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In this story
Director of NIHR Clinical Research Facility & Professor of Neurology
Professor of Neuroscience