Born: February 27, 1926, Windsor, Ontario
Education: BSc (Hons) - McGill University, 1947; M.D. - McGill University, 1951
Induction Category: Basic Research

Dr. David Hubel has been described as one of the major medical scientists of the latter twentieth century. He is recognized as a "founder" of the field of modern research of the visual system of the brain.  In 1981, Dr. Hubel was awarded a Nobel Prize for his pioneering research into how the brain processes visual information. His discoveries have provided a greater understanding of brain development in the critical early stages of human development following birth.  His studies showed how the human visual cortex is organized, and how this cellular organization can be modified by experience.  Dr. Hubel's research has also had important implications in clinical medicine by emphasizing the importance of correcting, at an early age, strabismus - a condition in which the eyes are crossed.

Born in Windsor, Ontario, Dr. Hubel moved at the age of 3 to Montreal where he graduated from McGill University with degrees in mathematics, physics, and medicine. Dr. Hubel has taught and done research at Harvard University Medical School where he co-authored a series of ground-breaking papers on his studies of the visual cortex. His experiments with Dr. Torsten Wiesel showed how certain cells "read" information, which is subsequently processed with greater complexity by other cells. The messages are then sent to the higher centres of the brain where a visual impression is created, and the memory of the image is stored. This research established the concept of "critical periods" and showed that if an animal failed to receive adequate visual experiences, the result was a decline in the performance of the visual system.

Dr. Hubel is the recipient of 12 Honorary Degrees, and numerous academic honours. He is currently the John Franklin Enders Professor of Neurobiology, Emeritus at Harvard University.