F.H. Lopes Da Silva

Fernando Lopes da Silva received the M.D. degree from the University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal, in 1959, the Ph.D. degree from the University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands, in 1970, and the Doctor Honoris Causa degree from the University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal, in 1997 and from the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal, in 2002. He was awarded a Gulbenkian Scholarship (1962–1964) to follow a postgraduate course on engineering and physics for physiologists at the Imperial College of the University of London, London, U.K., and to work at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology of the National Institute of Medical Research (Mill Hill). Thereafter, he went to Utrecht, The Netherlands, to work with S. van Leeuwen of the Institute of Medical Physics (TNO). There he started his Ph.D. research work on system analysis of visual evoked potentials. In 1973, he followed S. van Leeuwen as the Head of the Brain Research Group, University of Utrecht. In 1975, he became Deputy Director of the Institute of Medical Physics TNO, where he was in charge of the scientific research work. He was appointed Full Professor in General Animal Physiology at the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Amsterdam in 1980. From 1975 to 1985, he taught neurophysiology as a Visiting Professor at the Twente University (THT, Enschede) as part of the Biomedical Engineering program. In 1993, he was appointed Scientific Director of the newly created Institute of Neurobiology, and member of the Scientific Directorate of the Graduate School of Neurosciences Amsterdam. From 1995 to 2002, he was Scientific Director of the Institute for Epilepsy “Meer en Bosch” in Heemstede. In September 2000, he became Emeritus Professor of the University of Amsterdam. His research interests are mainly the study of the basic electrophysiology of the central nervous system, including the biophysical aspects of electrical activity in the brain (EEG/MEG) and the functional organization of neural networks in relation to cognitive functions. Furthermore, his current research interests are directed to the questions of the functions of the limbic structures and of the origin of epileptic phenomena. Dr. Lopes da Silva was elected member of the Netherlands Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1985. In 1999, he received the Herbert H. Jasper Award. from the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society. In August 2000, he was elected an Honorary Member of the Dutch Society of Clinical Neurophysiology. In 2000, he was awarded the degree of Grand Officer of the Order of Santiago da Espada by the President of the Republic of Portugal, and, in 2001, he was awarded the degree of Knight of the Order of the Nederlandse Leeuw by the Queen of the Netherlands, in appreciation for his achievements in science.