The European Neuroscience Institute at Aberdeen

The excellence of the scientific community at the University of Aberdeen is underpinned by its long and rich history of neuroscience research.  The University is historically linked with the life and work of John JR Macleod, a University of Aberdeen graduate (1898) who, through his work with Frederick Banting in Toronto, shared the Nobel Prize for the discovery of insulin in 1923. Returning to Aberdeen as Regius Professor of Physiology in 1928, he established Aberdeen’s reputation as a leading centre in carbohydrate metabolism. In 1933 Hans Kosterlitz joined Macleod’s research team. Internationally recognised for the discovery of endorphins, Kosterlitz founded the University’s Unit for Research on Addictive Drugs, placing Aberdeen at the forefront of opioid research. The University of Aberdeen is also recognised as the birth place of medical imaging. Professor John Mallard, an outstanding pioneer in nuclear medicine and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – the two most important diagnostic technologies of the 20th century - led the team of physicians and clinicians responsible for the world’s first clinically useful MRI image (1980).

The achievements of the ensuing generations of eminent neurobiologists in Aberdeen have garnered international recognition in the specific fields of synaptic physiology, molecular genetics, developmental biology, and neuropharmacology. Neuroscience research is now centred in the University’s Institute of Medical Sciences, the home of over 350 scientists and support staff since 1996. A vibrant conglomerate of research groups is responsible for 14 research programmes within the Schools of Medical Sciences, and Medicine & Dentistry. 

The Institute of Medical Sciences in Aberdeen provides a unique melting pot for neurobiology, housing advanced infrastructure, and creating optimal working conditions for young scientists. Successful undergraduate and graduate training and research programmes ensure that the University continues to be a key educational centre for new generations of neurobiologists in Scotland.

The ‘European Neuroscience Institute at Aberdeen (ENI-Aberdeen)’ signals the ambition and reflects the investment of the University of Aberdeen in bolstering neuroscience research in the decades to come. ENI-Aberdeen is a unique and independent entity within the premises of the Institute of Medical Sciences. Presently, one ENI Young Investigator (Peer Wulff) works on some of the most challenging concepts in Neuroscience and it is anticipated that he will be joined by two newly recruited fellows in the near future. ENI-Aberdeen will therefore represent a scientifically and infrastructurally cohesive unit, providing a stimulating environment for ambitious, young neurobiologists.