Liqun Luo (; born January 1966) is a neuroscientist in the Department of Biology at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

, where he is the Ann and Bill Swindells Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences, and an investigator of the

Howard Hughes Medical Institute The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is an American non-profit medical research organization headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland with additional facilities in Ashburn, Virginia. It was founded in 1953 by Howard Hughes, an American busin ...

. His laboratory studies the development and organization of neural circuits, and he is the author of the textbook ''Principles of Neurobiology''.

Early life and education

Luo was born in January 1966 in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, China. After graduating from the middle school of No.1 High School Affiliated to East China Normal University, he was admitted to the

Special Class for the Gifted Young The Special Class for the Gifted Young (SCGY, ) is a program aimed to select gifted young students to enter the universities in China. First established in 1978 at the University of Science and Technology of China, it was a major innovation in Chi ...

at the

University of Science and Technology of China The University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) is a public university in Hefei, China. It is affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and co-funded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Ministry of Education of the People' ...

(USTC) in 1981 and skipped high school. Luo earned his bachelor's degree in molecular biology from the

in 1986. He completed his PhD at

Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...

in 1992, studying the ''

Drosophila melanogaster ''Drosophila melanogaster'' is a species of fly (an insect of the Order (biology), order Diptera) in the family Drosophilidae. The species is often referred to as the fruit fly or lesser fruit fly, or less commonly the "vinegar fly", "pomace fly" ...

'' homolog of the

Amyloid precursor protein Amyloid-beta precursor protein (APP) is an integral membrane protein expressed in many biological tissue, tissues and concentrated in the synapses of neurons. It functions as a cell surface receptor and has been implicated as a regulator of s ...

. After his postdoctoral work in the lab of

Lily Jan Lily Yeh Jan (; born January 20, 1947) is a Taiwanese-American neuroscientist. She is the Jack and DeLoris Lange Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco, where she collaborates with her husband Yuh Nu ...

and Yuh Nung Jan at the University of California in San Francisco, he became an assistant professor in the Department of Biology at Stanford University in 1996.

Research

Luo's research focuses on the assembly and organization of neural circuits. His lab has invented tools to facilitate

mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

analysis in flies ( MARCM) and mice (MADM).

Honors and awards

Luo has been an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute since 2005, and is a member of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

and the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

. He has received numerous awards including the Technology Innovation in Neuroscience award from the

McKnight Foundation The McKnight Foundation is an American Minnesota-based family foundation. Established in 1953, the McKnight Foundation maintains a $2.5 billion endowment, which it distributes in grants. In 2022, the foundation issued $120 million, supporting Min ...

and The Young Investigator Award from the

Society for Neuroscience The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) is a professional society, headquartered in Washington, D.C., for basic scientists and physicians around the world whose research is focused on the study of the brain and nervous system. It is especially well k ...

References

External links

Luo lab website

Website for Dr. Luo's textbook, ''Principles of Neurobiology''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Luo, Liqun 1966 births Living people University of Science and Technology of China alumni Brandeis University alumni Stanford University faculty Chinese emigrants to the United States American neuroscientists Chinese neuroscientists Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Biologists from Shanghai