California Scientist Wins a Nobel Prize, Then Makes School Lunches for His Kids

Early one Monday morning, a scientist in Stanford, California, got a phone call that changed his life. Dr. Karl Deisseroth had just won the Nobel Prize in medicine — one of the most respected awards in the world. He had been recognized for his work in a field called optogenetics, which uses light and genes to study how the brain works. But after hours of phone interviews and celebrating with his team, Deisseroth had one more important job to do: make school lunches for his kids.

Deisseroth, who is 54 years old, shared the Nobel Prize with two researchers from Germany. Together, the three scientists helped build the field of optogenetics. This field uses light to switch specific brain cells — called neurons — on and off inside living brains. Scientists hope this research will one day lead to better treatments for brain conditions like depression and autism.

Deisseroth is known as a night owl, meaning he often stays up very late. He is a professor at Stanford University and works for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. On the night of the big announcement, he had been reviewing research papers and sending emails to his students when he finally decided to go lie down. That is when the phone rang — it was the Nobel Assembly calling from Stockholm, Sweden.

I almost felt as if I'd lost the power of forming words, Deisseroth told The Associated Press. Luckily, he found his words again quickly. Within minutes, he was giving interviews to science reporters over the phone and on Zoom. The Stanford University communications team had worked fast to set everything up.

While Deisseroth talked to reporters from his couch, a photographer and a videographer from the Associated Press rushed to his home. The photographer arrived around 3:30 in the morning and saw Halloween decorations outside with only one light on inside. He was nervous he had the wrong address, but he worked up the courage to knock. Deisseroth's wife, Dr. Michelle Monje-Deisseroth, answered the door and welcomed him in.

Monje-Deisseroth is also a scientist and works as a brain cancer doctor for children at Stanford. She stayed by her husband's side throughout the early morning celebration. When she wasn't supporting him, she was making coffee for the communications staff who had come to help. Deisseroth said he was surprised to win the prize, but his wife was not — she had believed in his work all along.

As a doctor and a scientist, Deisseroth said the prize meant a lot to him on many levels. He said he cares deeply about patients who have autism and depression, and hopes his research will bring them hope. He also said he loves studying the brain simply because it is such an amazing organ. To him, the prize was both a personal milestone and a sign of hope for future patients.

When the interviews finally wrapped up, Deisseroth asked for a one-hour break starting at 6:30 in the morning. His children would be waking up soon and needed their lunches packed before heading to school. Even on the biggest morning of his career, the daily routine of being a parent came first.

Before the photographer left, someone from the Stanford team wondered if the neighbors would be upset about all the noise and activity in the middle of the night. Monje-Deisseroth smiled and waved off the concern. They live in faculty housing on campus where many professors live, she explained. There are a lot of Nobels in the neighborhood, she said — meaning their neighbors were used to big wins.