Cambridge scientist wins Eppendorf prize

A gratifying result for Rudolf Cardinal, whose work on 'Succumbing to instant gratification without the nucleus accumbens' has been recognised with a prize

Rudolf Cardinal of Cambridge University has won a prize voucher for £1000 and finalist's plaque in the 2003 Eppendorf and Science Prize for Neurobiology, for his work 'Succumbing to instant gratification without the nucleus accumbens'.

This year, there were about 50 entries which were judged by a distinguished committee of scientists chaired by the editor-in-chief of Science magazine, Donald Kennedy.

Young scientists who have made outstanding contributions to neurobiological research using methods of molecular and cell biology and have obtained their PhD in the last 10 years, are eligible to apply for the prize, which is sponsored by Eppendorf.

Dr Cardinal received his prize voucher and plaque from Eppendorf UK managing director Ben Sunderland.

Cardinal was born in Norwich and grew up in Folkestone.

He studied medical sciences and neuroscience at the University of Cambridge, where he received his bachelor's degree in 1996 and then pursued intercalated courses in clinical medicine and surgery with a PhD in behavioural neuroscience, supervised by Professor Barry Everitt.

He was awarded his PhD in 2001 for his thesis that examined the neuropsychology of reinforcement processes, including the contribution of the anterior cingulate cortex to Pavlovian conditioning and the neuroanatomy of impulsive choice.

After qualifying, he worked as a house physician and surgeon in East Anglian hospitals and is now a neuroscience lecturer at Cambridge University.

The grand prize of US$25,000 in the Eppendorf and Science Prize for Neurobiology was awarded to Michael Ehlers, department of neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, USA, for his work on 'Deconstructing the synapse by Ubiquitin-dependent protein turnover'.

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