Rodolfo Llinás Riascos is Thomas and Suzanne Murphy Professor of Neuroscience; University Professor;
at New York University, and Director of the magnetoencephalography lab of the Bellevue Hospital .
Llinás was born in Bogota, Columbia, and completed his medical studies at the Javeriana University. When he finished his studies, he left Columbia to begin his scientific career. He learned electrophysiology with Professor Carlo Terzuolo in the University of Minnesota, and achieved his Ph.D. with the John Eccles Nobel prize. The research of Profesor Rodolfo Llinás is characterized by the number and importance of his discoveries in neuroscience, and contributions to the techniques of brain research. Some of the contributions of Professor Llinás have changed dogmas of neuroscience, and others have opened new lines of research. Together with Wally Wolfe and Frank Sulzman, Llinás prepared a proposal about the importance of the study of the nervous system in microgravity, which was sent to NASA. The final result was that NASA created Neurolab, a mission that generated a lot of information about neuroscience in many forms of diverse life, from fish to humans. He has wrotten several books, among them is the book "The Brain and the Myth of the Self".
But neuroscience is not the only area where Dr. Llinás is known , as he has also made innovative contributions in robotics, bringing neuroscience knowledge in these areas. Broadly, his research has covered issues from the biophysical properties to the mathematical modeling of the overall function of the brain. The contributions of Dr. Llinás, who are of recognized value and international standing in science, can be grouped into the following categories:
A) Neuronal Integration
B) Synaptic Transmission
C ) Systems and Mathematical Modeling
D ) Magnetoencephalography
E) Neurolab
F) Robotics
G) Thalamocortical system, Gamma Bands and Cognition
Gimnasio Moderno (Bogota) 1952 Bachillerato
Universidad Javeriana (Bogota) M.D. 1959 Medicine
Australian National University (Canberra) Ph.D. 1965 Neurophysiology
Instructor Department of Physiology, National
Neurophysiology University of Colombia 1959
Postdoctoral Stanley Cobb Laboratory, Massachusetts
Research Fellow General Hospital, Harvard Medical School 1960-61
NIH Postdoctoral Department of Physiology, University of
Research Fellow Minnesota, Minneapolis 1961-63
Research Scholar Department of Physiology, Institute of
Advanced Studies, Australian Natl. Univ PhD degree 1963-65
Associate Professor Department of Physiology, University of Minnesota Mineapolis 1965-66
Minnesota, Minneapolis
Member Institute for Biomedical Research, AMA/ERF Chicago Ilinois 1966-68
Head, Dept Neuribiology Institute for Biomedical Research, AMA/ERF,of Neurobiology 1968-70
Professor and Head Div. of Neurobiology University of Iowa Med. School, Iowa City 1970-76
1970-76
Faculty Member Summer Course in Neurobiology, MBL Woods Hole Mass 1971-74
Professor and Chairman Dept. of Physiology & Neuroscience, NYU Medical School, New York 1976-2011
Thomas & Suzanne Murphy Professor of Neuroscience NYU School of Medicine,, New York, 1985-
First NYU Medical School “University Professor” 2011-
Bowditch Lecturer, American Physiological Society 1973
The John C. Krantz Award in Pharmacology and Experimental
Therapeutics, University of Maryland School of Medicine 1976
Professorial Lecturer, College de France, Paris 1979
Honorary Member, Alpha Omega Alpha 1981
Catedra Ramon y Cajal Inaugural Speaker, Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Mexico City 1981
Lang Lecturer, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 1982
McDowall Lecturer in Physiology, King's College, London 1984
"Doctor Honoris Causa" (Medicine), University of Salamanca 1985
Member, National Academy of Sciences, USA 1986
Member, National Academy of Medicine, Colombia 1986
Ralph Gerard Lecturer, Univ. of California, Irvine 1987
Ulf von Euler Lecturer, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm 1987
Professorial Lecturer, College de France, Paris 1987
Luigi Galvani Lecture and Award, Georgetown University
Washington, D.C. 1988
F.O. Schmitt Lecture and Award in Neuroscience
Rockefeller University, N.Y. 1989
UNESCO Albert Einstein Gold Medal Award in Science 1991
“Doctor Honoris Causa" Universidad de Barcelona, Spain 1993
“Doctor Honoris Causa" Universidad Nacional, Bogota, Colombia 1994
Signoret Award in Cognition, Fondation Ipsen La Salpâtrière, 1994
Paris, France
Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences 1996
Member, American Philosophical Society 1996
Member, Real Academia Nacional de Medicina, Spain 1996
“Doctor Honoris Causa" " , Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain 1997
Member, French Academy of Science 2002
Santiago Grizolia Award and Medal, Valencia, Spain 2004
Koetser Memorial Lecture and Price. Zurich University, Switzerland 2004
“Doctor Honoris Causa", Toyama University Medical School 2005
“Doctor Honoris Causa", University of Pavia, Italy 2006
Bernard Katz Award, Biophysical Society 2011
The Miller Lecture and Award, CSHL 2011
Gold Medal CSIC 2012
Cajal Diploma given by Queen Sophia of Spain 2013
Ragnar Granit Lecture and Award, Nobel Institute, Stockholm 2013
Neurological Science Research Training Committee A, National
Institute of Neurological Diseases & Stroke, N.I.H. 1971-73
Consultant, USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, San Antonio, TX 1972-75
Corporation Member, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 1973-82
Board of Trustees, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 1983-85
Board of Trustees, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 1990-92
Associate, Neurosciences Research Program, M.I.T., Boston, MA 1974-84
Council Member, Society for Neuroscience 1974-78
Member, Task Force on Neurophysiology, Am. Physiological Society 1974-78
Member, Committee on Committees, Am. Physiological Society 1974-76
Neurology A Study Section, Division of Research Grants, National
Institutes of Health 1974-78
Member, National Research Council Committee for IBRO 1978-81
Member, Panel on Basic Neuroscience Research, National Academy
of Science Task Force 1978-82
Scientific Advisory Board, Division for Basic Research, Max-Planck
Institute for Psychiatry, Munich 1979-83
Member, Executive Committee for IBRO 1981-82
Acting Chairman, USA National Committee for IBRO 1982
Chairman, USA National Committee for IBRO 1983-88
Chairman, NASA/Neurolab Science Working Group 1991-95
Member, Scientific Advisory Board Roche Institute 1992-94
Member, National Deafness and Other Communication Disorders 1994-98
Advisory Council of the National Institutes of Health
Chief Editor, Neuroscience 1974-2000
Editorial Board, Journal of Neurobiology 1980-86
Field Editor, Pfluegers Archiv 1981-86
Editorial Board, Journal of Theoretical Neurobiology 1981-90
Senior Editor, Thalamus and Related Systems 2001-