Edvard I. Moser

Edvard Ingjald Moser was born on April 27, 1962, in Ålesund, Norway. He grew up in Ålesund, where his interest in science and the natural world developed. Moser later pursued a career in neuroscience, studying psychology at the University of Oslo and earning his degree in 1990. He went on to pursue a career in research and academia, focusing on the neural basis of spatial memory, learning, and cognition.

Edvard Moser married May-Britt Moser, who would become his long-time collaborator and fellow neuroscientist, in August 1991. Together, they have shared a scientific career, founding the Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, where they have conducted research that led to groundbreaking discoveries about how the brain represents space and memory.

In May 2005, Edvard Moser, together with May-Britt Moser and their research team, published a major scientific paper detailing the discovery of grid cells in the brain. These cells are specialized neurons located in the entorhinal cortex that help animals understand their position in space, forming a grid-like pattern. This discovery was instrumental in advancing our understanding of spatial navigation and memory in neuroscience.

In 2007, Edvard Moser and May-Britt Moser founded the Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway. The institute has become a leading research center for the study of neural circuits and cognitive processes, with a special focus on understanding the neural mechanisms of space and memory.

On October 6, 2014, Edvard Moser, along with May-Britt Moser and John O'Keefe, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The award recognized their discoveries of cells that constitute a positioning system in the brain, which has been called the brain's GPS. Edvard and May-Britt Moser were honored for their work on grid cells, while John O'Keefe's earlier research had uncovered place cells, which map specific locations.

In March 2015, Edvard Moser was awarded the Grand Cross of St. Olav, one of Norway's highest civilian honors, for his remarkable contributions to neuroscience and his prestigious Nobel Prize-winning research on how the brain represents space. This honor is a testament to Edvard Moser's significant impact on both Norwegian society and the scientific community as a whole.

In October 2015, Edvard Moser was awarded an honorary doctorate from Radboud University in the Netherlands. This recognition was given in acknowledgment of his outstanding contributions to the field of neuroscience, particularly his Nobel Prize-winning discoveries on the brain's spatial representation systems. The honorary degree highlights Moser's influence on neuroscience research worldwide.

On April 29, 2016, Edvard Moser received an honorary doctorate from the University of Edinburgh in recognition of his influential work in neuroscience. His groundbreaking research on grid cells and the brain's navigational systems has been crucial to advancing our understanding of spatial memory and cognition, earning him international acclaim in the scientific community.

In June 2017, Edvard Moser was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Oxford. The award was in recognition of his pioneering work in neuroscience, particularly his discoveries related to the brain's spatial representation system, for which he received the Nobel Prize. Oxford acknowledged Moser's major contributions to our understanding of cognitive function and neural networks.

In September 2018, Edvard Moser was appointed as an honorary professor at Beijing Normal University. This prestigious position was granted in recognition of his contributions to neuroscience and education, as well as his international reputation as a leader in research on the brain's mechanisms of memory and spatial navigation. His appointment further strengthens ties between Norwegian and Chinese academic institutions.