Born in 1956 in the American Midwest, Professor Christof Koch grew up in Holland, Germany, Canada, and Morocco, where he graduated from the Lycèe Descartes in 1974. He studied Physics and Philosophy at the University of Tübingen in Germany and was awarded his PhD in Biophysics in 1982.
After four years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Christof joined the faculty at the California Institute of Technology in 1986, where he is now the Lois and Victor Troendle Professor of Cognitive and Behavioural Biology, in both Biology and Engineering and Applied Sciences. Christof's laboratory studies the biophysics of computation, and the neuronal and computational basis of visual perception, attention and consciousness. He has written several books (the latest is The Quest for Consciousness), over three hundred scientific papers and journal articles and seven patents. He frequently lectures for popular audiences.
Together with his long-time collaborator, Francis Crick (co-discoverer of the double helix structure of DNA), Christof pioneered the scientific study of consciousness. A marathon runner, rock climber, Mac fanatic and dog lover, and with hair dyed a bright red, Christof is a popular cult figure and speaker. For additional information see www.klab.caltech.edu/~koch.