Insights from

Nobel Laureates, for scientists everywhere

Martin Chalfie

Martin Chalfie

Martin Chalfie is a University Professor at Columbia University. He obtained his B.A. and PhD from Harvard University and did post-doctoral research with Sydney Brenner at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, before moving to Columbia in 1982. He uses the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to investigate nerve cell development and function, concentrating primarily on genes used in mechanosensory neuronsHis research has been directed toward answering two quite different biological questions:  How do different types of nerve cells acquire and maintain their unique characteristics? And how do sensory cells respond to mechanical signals? He shared the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his introduction of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) as a biological marker.

Photo credit: Diemut Strebe

Are you still involved with your lab’s experiments?
Martin Chalfie

Are you still involved with your lab’s experiments?

What makes a good post-doc application?
Martin Chalfie

What makes a good post-doc application?

Who inspired you as a student?
Martin Chalfie

Who inspired you as a student?

How has the Nobel Prize changed your life?
Martin Chalfie

How has the Nobel Prize changed your life?

Should scientists communicate with a wide audience?
Martin Chalfie

Should scientists communicate with a wide audience?

What kind of work can lead to a Nobel Prize?
Martin Chalfie

What kind of work can lead to a Nobel Prize?

What makes a good research topic?
Martin Chalfie

What makes a good research topic?

Do you focus on a single scientific problem?
Martin Chalfie

Do you focus on a single scientific problem?

How should you deal with failure?
Martin Chalfie

How should you deal with failure?

When should you give up on an experiment?
Martin Chalfie

When should you give up on an experiment?

Did your GFP experiments work first time?
Martin Chalfie

Did your GFP experiments work first time?

What do you think of impact factors?
Martin Chalfie

What do you think of impact factors?

How important is freedom in academic research?
Martin Chalfie

How important is freedom in academic research?

Is publication in a high-impact journal essential for a Nobel Prize?
Martin Chalfie

Is publication in a high-impact journal essential for a Nobel Prize?

How did the Nobel Prize affect your lab?
Martin Chalfie

How did the Nobel Prize affect your lab?