Thomas Gasser, MD, PhD

Dr. Gasser is a professor of neurology and has been director of the Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases at the Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research since 2002 and chairman of the Board of Directors at the Center of Neurology, University of Tübingen, Germany since 2008. In 2010 he became Dean of research of the Medical Faculty at the University of Tübingen and since 2013 he has also been coordinator for clinical studies at the Tübingen partner of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE).

His main areas of research are the genetic and molecular basis of Parkinson’s disease, dystonias and other movement disorders, including the mapping, cloning and functional characterization of Mendelian genes causing Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders, as well as their diagnosis and treatment but also the identification of common genetic variability which contributes to the sporadic forms of the disease.

In 2024 Dr. Gasser received the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, together with Dr. Andrew Singleton and Dr. Ellen Sidransky, which honors transformative advances towards understanding living systems and extending human life, for his groundbreaking research into genetic risk factors for Parkinson's disease.