Congratulations to Professor Daniel McGehee on receiving the 2026 Chicago SfN Career Achievement Award.
Dr. Daniel S. McGehee is Professor in the Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care at the University of Chicago, where he has also served for more than a decade as Chair of the Committee on Neurobiology Graduate Program. Early in his career, Dr. McGehee made foundational discoveries that transformed our understanding of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor function in the nervous system. He and his trainees have since produced seminal work yielding critical insights into neuropharmacology, mechanisms of addiction, and pain, with particular emphasis on the role of nicotine and nicotinic receptors in shaping synaptic transmission and behavior.
Reflecting the fundamental nature of these contributions, Dr. McGehee and his group have generated multiple primary research articles that have each garnered more than nine hundred citations, in addition to numerous influential reviews, commentaries, and book chapters. His research program has been continuously supported by extramural funding for nearly thirty years.
Dr. McGehee has made equally profound contributions to teaching and mentorship. As a lecturer at UChicago, he has demonstrated sustained excellence in the classroom, recognized by his receipt of the Llewellyn John and Harriet Manchester Quantrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and by the enthusiastic testimonials of students past and present. During his tenure as Chair of the Committee on Neurobiology Graduate Program, he has overseen the successful training and graduation of dozens of doctoral students.
In addition, he has personally mentored numerous graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, as well as more than fifty undergraduate researchers. Through his leadership, scholarship, and dedication to trainees at every stage, Dr. McGehee has positively impacted generations of neuroscientists that will continue to shape the Chicago neuroscience community.