Paul Greengard (1925–2019) was a renowned American neurobiologist and a 2000 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, honored for revealing how neurotransmitters, like dopamine, regulate nerve-cell activity through protein phosphorylation, a discovery foundational to modern neuroscience.
After earning his Ph.D. in biophysics from Johns Hopkins University in 1953, Greengard pursued postdoctoral research at Cambridge University, a formative period that deepened his biochemical approach to brain signaling.
He joined Rockefeller University in 1983, leading the Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience until his death. His lab clarified critical cell-signaling pathways and identified regulatory proteins like DARPP32, which modulate dopamine’s effects in the brain which are key insights to understanding and treating disorders such as Parkinson’s, schizophrenia, and depression. Learn more.