| Who is it? | Biophysicist |
| Birth Day | March 20, 1944 |
| Birth Place | Landsberg am Lech, Bavaria, Germany, German |
| Age | 79 YEARS OLD |
| Birth Sign | Aries |
| Alma mater | Technical University of Munich University of Wisconsin-Madison |
| Known for | patch clamp |
| Awards | Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1991) ForMemRS (1994) Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize (1987) Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize (1986) |
| Fields | Biophysics |
| Institutions | University of Göttingen University of Wisconsin–Madison Yale University Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry |
| Academic advisors | Charles F. Stevens |
| Website | www.mpg.de/323786/biophysikalische_chemie_wissM6 |
Erwin Neher, a renowned German biophysicist, is estimated to have a net worth ranging from $100,000 to $1 million by the year 2024. Neher has made significant contributions to the field of biophysics throughout his illustrious career, earning him international recognition. With his notable research focused on the function of ion channels and synaptic transmission, Neher has revolutionized our understanding of cellular processes. Beyond his scientific achievements, Neher's financial success can be attributed to various factors, including his academic positions, research grants, and accolades. As a highly respected figure in the scientific community, Erwin Neher continues to inspire future generations of biophysicists worldwide.
Neher was born in Landsberg am Lech, Upper Bavaria, the son of Elisabeth (née Pfeiffer), a Teacher, and Franz Xaver Neher, an executive at a dairy company. He studied physics at the Technical University of Munich from 1963 to 1966.
In 1966, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study in the US. He spent a year at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and earned a master's degree in biophysics. While at the Charles Stevens Laboratory at Yale University for post-doctoral work he met fellow scientist Eva-Maria Neher, whom he married in 1978 and subsequently the couple had five children – Richard, Benjamin, Carola, Sigmund, and Margret.
In 1986, he was awarded the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University together with Bert Sakmann. In 1987, he received the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, which is the highest honour awarded in German research. Along with Bert Sakmann, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1991 for "their discoveries concerning the function of single ion channels in cells". Neher and Sakmann were the first to record the currents of single ion channels on a live cell (they were first recorded using the lipid bilayer method) through their development of the patch-clamp technique, a project Neher began as a postdoctoral research associate in the laboratory of Charles F. Stevens at Yale.
Neher was awarded an Honorary degree from the University of Pavia in 2000. He was elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society (ForMemRS) in 1994.
In 2003 Neher was one of 22 Nobel Laureates who signed the Humanist Manifesto.
