Stephen Heinemann

Stephen Heinemann was born February 11, 1939, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Robert Heinemann and Christel Fuchs. He grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts and attended Buckingham Browne & Nichols secondary school. Heinemann met his wife, Ann Reischauer Heinemann, in Cambridge. They were married for 54 years and had five children.[2] His uncle, Emil Julius Klaus Fuchs, a physicist and spy who contributed to the development of the atomic bomb, influenced Heinemann's interest in science.[1]

Heinemann graduated from Caltech with a bachelor's degree in 1962, and in 1967, he earned a PhD in biochemistry at Harvard University under the mentorship of Matt Meselson, a well known geneticist and molecular biologist.[2] He then did research as a postdoctoral fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University. His work at MIT was alongside A. Dale Kaiser. They focused on how transcription is related to the phage lambda repressor synthesis. During his time at Stanford, he worked with Ethan Royal Signer.[1] He joined the Salk Institute in 1970, where he founded the department of molecular neurobiology, which soon became known as one of the world's top research centers in the field.[3][2] He did pioneering work in the subject of motor neurons and the neuromuscular junction. He remained at Salk until his retirement.[4]

360 degree panorama in the courtyard of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California. Heinemann researched at the Salk Institute from 1970 until his retirement. Photographed on an August morning by Gregg M. Erickson.

Stephen F. Heinemann's research focus was acetylcholine and glutamate receptors.[1] A majority of the excitatory neurons in the central nervous system communicate via these two chemical signaling molecules known as neurotransmitters. Heinemann's work included identifying the key structural elements of the receptor proteins that allow them to recognize signal molecules and enact change in the cell. The understanding of their structures has furthered research in cognition and neurological disorders. His research has illuminated the cognitive function of several receptors. Heinemann has also researched the application of dysfunction in these neurotransmitter receptors on human diseases including addiction and Alzheimers.[5]

Heinemann received a number of rewards and honors for his achievements in science. He was an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences,[5] the Institute of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He also served as president of the Society for Neuroscience in 2005–2006. For his outstanding efforts in research and his dedication to neuroscience, Heinemann[3] was awarded the Bristol-Myers Squibb Distinguished Achievement in Neuroscience Research Award, the McKnight Award for Research. Additionally, he was awarded the Julius Axelrod Prize from the Society for Neuroscience in 2010 because of his research involving neuropharmacology, as well as his commitment to mentoring future scientists.[2]