Congratulations to Ole Paulsen on his appointment as Professor

Ex-Unit member Ole Paulsen, currently lecturer at the Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics at the University of Oxford, has been appointed Professor of Physiology (1883) at the University of Cambridge from the 1st of January 2010. Ole joined Peter Somogyi's group in 1993 and made seminal contributions to the Unit's programme. He introduced in vitro studies and concepts of neuronal oscillations to the Unit and his collaboration with Peter and the late Eberhard Buhl resulted in the milestone observations of how GABAergic synaptic input from basket cells reset intrinsic membrane potential oscillations in CA1 hippocampal pyramidal cells leading to their synchronization (Cobb et al., 1995. Nature 378, 75-78). The group's work on cortical interneurons was demonstrated at the Royal Society summer exhibition and soiree in 1996 (see picture). Ole's insights into cellular neurophysiology and his strengths in analysis greatly contributed to studies on the synaptic mechanisms and role of cortical interneurons, and his exceptional teaching ability is witnessed by his success in training students and staff. Congratulations Ole, richly deserved!