Michael Duchen, PhD, studied physiology and medicine at Oxford University and practiced clinical medicine for several years in London before joining University College London Physiology Department to pursue a PhD degree. After a few years of studying physiology of neurotransmitter receptors -- proteins on the surface of nerve cells that receive signals from other nerve cells -- he became interested in the roles of metabolism in physiology of nerve cells and neurological disease. This led to a broader interest in mitochondria -- powerhouses of the cell -- which has been the primary focus of his research ever since. After holding a research fellowship from the Royal Society at University College London (UCL), Dr. Duchen was appointed to the chair in 1999 and continues to work at UCL in the same laboratory in which he studied for his PhD. Dr. Duchen established and leads the consortium for mitochondrial research at UCL. He is an elected member of the Academia Europaea and a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians.