# Richard Axel

_American molecular biologist_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/richard-axel
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> Richard Axel (born July 2, 1946) is an American molecular biologist and university professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Columbia University and investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. His work on the olfactory system won him and Linda Buck, a former postdoctoral research scientist in his group, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2004.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 2 July 1946 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q211940#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Brooklyn ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q211940#P19))
- **Citizenship:** United States ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q211940#P27))
- **Occupation:** biochemist; neurologist; university teacher; physician ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q211940#P106))
- **Education:** Columbia University; Stuyvesant High School; Johns Hopkins School of Medicine ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q211940#P69))
- **Spouse:** Cornelia Bargmann ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q211940#P26))
- **Awards:** Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine; Canada Gairdner International Award; Rosenstiel Award; Alan T. Waterman Award; Bristol-Myers Squibb Award for Distinguished Achievement in Neuroscience Research; Perl-UNC Prize; Richard Lounsbery Award; Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; Foreign Member of the Royal Society; John Jay Award ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q211940#P166))

## About

In February 2026, Axel resigned as co-director of Columbia University's Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, calling his past association with Jeffrey Epstein "a serious error in judgment" and apologizing for compromising trust. He also stepped down from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

## Questions

**When was Richard Axel born?**  
Richard Axel was born on 2 July 1946 in Brooklyn.

**Where did Richard Axel study?**  
Richard Axel was educated at Columbia University, Stuyvesant High School, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

## Related

- [Jan Koum](https://diginpl.com/people/jan-koum)
- [Joe Gebbia](https://diginpl.com/people/joe-gebbia)
- [Luke Nosek](https://diginpl.com/people/luke-nosek)
- [Miriam Adelson](https://diginpl.com/people/miriam-adelson)
- [Adam Riess](https://diginpl.com/people/adam-riess)
- [Alan J. Heeger](https://diginpl.com/people/alan-j-heeger)
- [Alfred G. Gilman](https://diginpl.com/people/alfred-g-gilman)
- [Alfred Hershey](https://diginpl.com/people/alfred-hershey)
- [Allan MacLeod Cormack](https://diginpl.com/people/allan-macleod-cormack)
- [Andrea M. Ghez](https://diginpl.com/people/andrea-m-ghez)
- [Andrew Fire](https://diginpl.com/people/andrew-fire)
- [Andrew Schally](https://diginpl.com/people/andrew-schally)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Richard Axel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Axel) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q211940](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q211940) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Professor Richard Axel ForMemRS (cropped).jpg by Royal Society uploader (CC BY-SA 4.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Professor_Richard_Axel_ForMemRS_(cropped).jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Richard Axel, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Professor Richard Axel ForMemRS (cropped).jpg — Royal Society uploader, CC BY-SA 4.0.

## Cite this page

"Richard Axel". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/richard-axel. Retrieved 5 November 2026.