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Karl Deisseroth - Net Worth, Age, Height, Birthday, Bio, Wiki!

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Robert Young

Updated on January 08, 2026

Explore Karl Deisseroth net worth, age, height, bio, birthday, wiki, and salary! Karl Alexander Deisseroth (born 18 November 1971) is the D. H. Chen Professor of Bioengineering as well as of the Behavioral and Psychiatry Sciences of Stanford University. He is famous for inventing and developing the technology in CLARITY and optogenetics, as well as using integrated genetic and optical strategies to examine the normal functioning of neural circuits and the causes of neurological and psychiatric diseases. In this article, we will discover how old is Karl Deisseroth? Who is Karl Deisseroth dating now & how much money does Karl Deisseroth have?

NameKarl Deisseroth
First NameKarl
Last NameDeisseroth
OccupationPsychiatrist
BirthdayNovember 18
Birth Year1971
Place of BirthBoston
Home TownMassachusetts
Birth CountryUnited States
Birth SignScorpio
Full/Birth Name
FatherNot Available
MotherNot Available
SiblingsNot Available
SpouseMichelle Monje
Children(s)Not Available

Karl Deisseroth Biography

Karl Deisseroth is one of the most popular and richest Psychiatrist who was born on November 18, 1971 in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. In the year 2005, Deisseroth’s lab with the graduate student Edward Boyden and Feng Zhang released the first study of the use of microbial genes that encode light-gated channels (channelrhodopsins) for optogenetic control of neurons which allows for the control of action potentials using precision of milliseconds. Deisseroth called this area “optogenetics” in 2006 and continued with optogenetic technology research, which led to a variety of applications, including neurology and psychiatry. In 2010 The journal Nature Methods named optogenetics “Method of the Year”.

The first step in this direction was hydrogel-tissue chemistry (HTC) in which “specific classes of native biomolecules in tissue are immobilized or covalently anchored (for example, through individualized interface molecules to gel monomer molecules)”. Then, “precisely timed polymerization causing tissue-gel hybrid formation is triggered within all the cells across the tissue in an ordered and controlled process to ultimately create an optically and chemically accessible biomolecular matrix” . In 2013, Deisseroth was senior author of a paper describing the initial form of this method, called CLARITY (with a team including first author postdoctoral fellow in his lab Kwanghun Chung , and neuroscientist Viviana Gradinaru) ; this method makes biological tissues such as mammalian brains translucent and accessible to molecular probes . CLARITY has been widely used and many variants on the basic HTC backbone have been developed in other labs as well since 2013 (reviewed in ).

In 2019 Deisseroth was elected to the US National Academy of Engineering, completing membership in all three US National Academies (Medicine, Sciences, and Engineering).

The first peer-reviewed article showing the activation of neurons using the channelrhodopsin protein was published by his lab around mid-2005, Deisseroth has stated that “pioneering laboratories around the world” were also working on the concept and released their papers in the next year. He mentions Stefan Herlitze and Alexander Gottschalk/Georg Nagel, who published their research in the latter half of 2005, as well as Hiromu Yawo , Zhuo Hua Pan who released their first papers in 2006. (Pan’s initially observed the optical stimulation of retinal neurons that express channelrhodopsin could be in August 2004, according to Pan approximately one month after Deisseroth’s first observations (Deisseroth has published his notebook pages from the beginning of July 2004 from his initial study that showed light activation of neurons that express the channelrhodopsin). Incredibly, Deisseroth has also mentioned that an earlier study was carried out and published by Heberle and Buldt in 1994 when the functionally heterologous expression and function of a bacteriorhod in the activation of ions by light was reported in an non-neural systems (yeast). Optogenetics using microbial-derived opsins an all-encompassing technology for neuronal development was made possible by the complete advancement of strategies that are flexible to target opsins and light to certain cells of animals that are acting.

Deisseroth has been the director of his lab within Stanford University since 2004, is an attending doctor for Stanford Hospital and Clinics, and has been associated to the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) since 2009. Between 2014 and the year 2019, he was an international Adjunct Professor in Sweden’s Karolinska medical school.

For developing optogenetics, Deisseroth received in 2010 the Nakasone Award, in 2013 the Lounsbery Award and the Dickson Prize in Science, in 2014 the Keio Medical Science Prize, and in 2015 the Albany Prize, Lurie Prize, Dickson Prize in Medicine, and Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. He also received the 2015 BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Biomedicine, jointly with Edward Boyden and Gero Miesenböck. In 2016 Deisseroth received the Massry Prize along with his frequent collaborator Peter Hegemann and Miesenböck for “optogenetics, a technology that utilizes light to control cells in living tissues” ]]. In 2016 the Harvey Prize from the Technion in Israel was awarded to Deisseroth and Hegemann “for their discovery of opsin molecules, involved in sensing light in microorganisms, and their pioneering work in utilizing these opsins to develop optogenetics” . Deisseroth was then awarded Japan’s highest private prize, the Kyoto Prize, in 2018 for “his discovery of optogenetics and the development of causal systems neuroscience”, becoming the youngest recipient of the award to date. In 2019, Deisseroth, Hegemann, Boyden, and Miesenböck won the Warren Alpert Foundation Prize.

Karl Deisseroth Net Worth

Karl is one of the richest Psychiatrist from United States. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, Karl Deisseroth's net worth $5 Million. (Last Update: January 13, 2024)

Deisseroth received the AB in biochemical science from Harvard University and his MD/PhD in neuroscience from Stanford University in 1998, as well as completing his the medical internship and psychiatry residency during his time at Stanford Medical School.

Net Worth$5 Million
SalaryUnder Review
Source of IncomePsychiatrist
CarsNot Available
HouseLiving in own house.

Deisseroth’s lab also achieved single-cell optogenetic control in living animals through a combination of optogenetics and high-resolution light guidance methods, including in behaving mammals.

Deisseroth” is also known for achieving insight into the light-gated ion channel pore of channelrhodopsin itself, through his teams’ initial high-resolution crystal structures of cation and anion-conducting channelrhodopsins and through a body of structure/function work discovering mechanisms of channelrhodopsin kinetics, ion selectivity, and color selectivity together with his frequent collaborator Peter Hegemann, reviewed in . Two major prizes paid particular attention to Deisseroth’s work on elucidation of the structure and function of light-gated ion channels (the 2016 Harvey Prize to Deisseroth and Hegemann for the “discovery of opsin molecules, involved in sensing light in microorganisms, and for the pioneering work in utilizing these opsins to develop optogenetics” , and the 2018 Gairdner Award, which noted “his group discovered the fundamental principles of the unique channelrhodopsin proteins in molecular detail by a wide range of genomic, biophysical, electrophysiological and structural techniques with many mutants in close collaboration with Peter Hegemann”) .

Ethnicity, religion & political views

Many peoples want to know what is Karl Deisseroth ethnicity, nationality, Ancestry & Race? Let's check it out! As per public resource, IMDb & Wikipedia, Karl Deisseroth's ethnicity is Not Known. We will update Karl Deisseroth's religion & political views in this article. Please check the article again after few days.

The majority (~300 papers ) of Deisseroth’s publications have been focused on application of his methods to elucidate how mammalian survival-related behaviors like thirst and anxiety, whether adaptive or maladaptive, arise from the activity of specific cells and connections in neural circuitry. Several awards have specifically noted Deisseroth’s neuroscience discoveries in this way, separate from his contributions to channelrhodopsin structure or optogenetics. Deisseroth’s 2018 Kyoto Prize cited his “causal systems neuroscience” , the 2013 Pasarow Prize was awarded to Deisseroth for “neuropsychiatry research” , the 2013 Premio Citta di Firenze (the City of Florence prize; other recipients have included Ada Yonath and Emmanuelle Charpentier) was given to Deisseroth for “innovative technologies to probe the structure and dynamics of circuits related to schizophrenia, autism, narcolepsy, Parkinson’s disease, depression, anxiety and addiction” , the Redelsheimer Award from the Society for Biological Psychiatry was awarded to Deisseroth for “furthering the field’s understanding of the neuroscience underlying behavior” , and Deisseroth’s 2017 Fresenius Prize cited “his discoveries in optogenetics and hydrogel-tissue chemistry, as well as his research into the neural circuit basis of depression” .

Who is Karl Deisseroth Dating?

According to our records, Karl Deisseroth married to Michelle Monje. As of January 13, 2024, Karl Deisseroth’s is not dating anyone.

Relationships Record: We have no records of past relationships for Karl Deisseroth. You may help us to build the dating records for Karl Deisseroth!

In 2020 Deisseroth and Zhenan Bao described another chemical synthesis of functional material in situ, this time with cell-specific chemistry. Their genetically-targeted chemical assembly (GTCA) method instructs specific living cells to guide chemical synthesis of functional materials. The initial GTCA created electrically functional (conductive or insulating) polymers at the plasma membrane, and the team noted “Distinct strategies for the targeting and triggering of chemical synthesis could extend beyond the oxidative radical initiation shown here while building on the core principle of assembling within cells (as reaction compartments) genetically and anatomically targeted reactants (such as monomers), catalysts (such as enzymes or surfaces), or reaction conditions (through modulators of pH, light, heat, redox potential, electrochemical potential, and other chemical or energetic signals).”

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

Karl Deisseroth height Not available right now. Karl weight Not Known & body measurements will update soon.

HeightUnknown
WeightNot Known
Body MeasurementsUnder Review
Eye ColorNot Available
Hair ColorNot Available
Feet/Shoe SizeNot Available

Several major prizes have cited Deisseroth’s development of HTC, including 1) the 2017 Fresenius Prize “for his discoveries in optogenetics and hydrogel-tissue chemistry, as well as his research into the neural circuit basis of depression” ; 2) The 2015 Lurie Prize in Biomedical Sciences “for leading the development of optogenetics, a technology for controlling cells with light to determine function as well as for CLARITY, a method for transforming intact organs into transparent polymer gels to allow visualization of biological structures with high resolution and detail” ); 3) the 2013 Premio Citta di Firenze ); 4) the Redelsheimer Award for “optogenetics, CLARITY, and other novel and powerful neural circuit approaches in furthering the field’s understanding of the neuroscience underlying behavior” ); and 5) the 2015 Dickson Prize in Medicine ).

Facts & Trivia

Karl Ranked on the list of most popular Psychiatrist. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in United States. Karl Deisseroth celebrates birthday on November 18 of every year.

What is Karl Deisseroth known for?

Karl Deisseroth, (born November 18, 1971, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.), American psychiatrist and bioengineer best known for his development of methods that revolutionized the study of the brain and led to major advances in neuroscience and biomedical engineering.

What did Karl Deisseroth discover?

In 2016, the Harvey Prize from the Technion in Israel was awarded to Deisseroth and Hegemann “for their discovery of opsin molecules, involved in sensing light in microorganisms, and their pioneering work in utilizing these opsins to develop optogenetics”.

Who invented optogenetics?

Karl Deisseroth of Stanford University and Ed Boyden of MIT are generally regarded as the inventors of optogenetics and many expect them to be future Nobel laureates.

What is Optogenetic control?

Optogenetics is the genetic approach for controlling cellular processes with light. It provides spatiotemporal, quantitative and reversible control over biological signaling and metabolic processes, overcoming limitations of chemically inducible systems.

How does optogenetics work?

Optogenetics offers techniques to modulate the activity of excitable cells using light, in a genetically specified manner. The method harnesses microbial proteins, known as opsins, which are light-activated proteins (channels or pumps) that permit transmembrane movement of ions.

You may read full biography about Karl Deisseroth from Wikipedia.