Peter Dallos, Ph.D., has been selected as the 2005 Hugh Knowles Prize winner for his contributions to the understanding of the workings of the inner ear. Dr. Dallos is the John Evans Professor of Neuroscience and Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Neurobiology and Physiology, Otolaryngology, and Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.

For over 30 years, Dr. Dallos’ work has been aimed at understanding the biophysics and neurobiology of the mammalian cochlea. Using techniques ranging from animal behavior to single-cell recording, his laboratory has focused on delineating the physiological properties and functional roles of inner and outer hair cells, the two types of sensory receptors of the inner ear. Most recently, Dr. Dallos and his colleagues cloned the gene Prestin, which codes for the distinctive molecular motor of outer hair cells.

The Hugh Knowles Prize is awarded by the Hugh Knowles Center at Northwestern University to a scientist or clinician who has made an outstanding contribution to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of hearing disorders. The Hugh Knowles Center for Clinical and Basic Science in Hearing and Its Disorders was established at Northwestern University in 1988 through a gift from Knowles Electronics in honor of its founder, Hugh S. Knowles. Its mission is to foster an interdisciplinary environment of research, scholarship, training, and clinical services aimed at bringing the joy of hearing to those denied its pleasure and preventing others from suffering its loss.

Links:

• NBP Faculty Page
• link to a more detailed research description
• Northwestern University School of Speech