The award, considered the Korean Nobel Prize, recognizes Lee's research on the neural mechanisms of decision-making
By
Annika Weder
/
Published
May 3, 2021
The 2021 Samsung Ho-am Prize in Medicine has been awarded to Daeyeol Lee, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of neuroscience, in recognition of his research on the neural mechanisms of decision-making by incorporating theoretical frameworks from economics into neuroscientific research to study the function of the prefrontal cortex.
Image caption: Daeyeol Lee
Image credit: Courtesy of Daeyeol Lee
The prize—established in 1991 and often referred to as the Korean equivalent of the Nobel Prize—is awarded annually to Koreans or individuals of Korean heritage "who have contributed to academics, the arts, and social development, or who have furthered the welfare of humanity through distinguished accomplishments in their respective professional fields." Also among this year's laureates, receiving the Samsung Ho-am Prize in the Arts, is Bong Joon Ho, who won the Academy Award for Best Director in 2020 for the movie