Ian Oldenburg, PhD, is one of two Rutgers researchers who have been recognized by the Pew Charitable Trusts for research that could deepen understanding of how the nervous system shapes movement, sensation, and behavior.
Dr. Oldenburg was named a 2026 Pew Biomedical Scholar, receiving $300,000 to support research to learn more about the brain's motor cortex. In his studies, he uses an innovative technology he helped develop as a postdoctoral researcher: multiphoton holographic optogenetics. It lets him use light to activate neurons in a mouse brain, a few dozen at at time, using a tiny laser beam. The new technology will allow them to test three hypotheses about what drives movement: the specific neurons that fire, the relative intensity with which different neurons fire, or the specific timing of neuron activation.