neurobiologist

IPA/ˌnjʊə.rəʊˌbaɪˈɒl.ə.dʒɪst/
IPA/ˌnʊr.oʊˌbaɪˈɑː.lə.dʒɪst/

neurobiologist — noun

  • neurobiologistsingular
  • neurobiologistsplural

1. a scientist who researches the brain, nerves, and related cells, including how t

1.nounC2
Definition

a scientist who researches the brain, nerves, and related cells, including how the nervous system is built, works, and uses chemical signals.

Example

Élise interviewed a neurobiologist about memory loss for the school podcast.

interview a neurobiologist about [topic]

The hospital hired a neurobiologist to study how damaged nerves heal.

hire a neurobiologist to + verb

Common collocations
  • developmental neurobiologist
  • molecular neurobiologist
  • leading neurobiologist
  • young neurobiologist
Synonyms
  • neuroscientist

    broader term for someone who studies the nervous system, including fields beyond biology

  • brain researcher

    plain-language phrase that sounds less formal and can be narrower than the full nervous system

  • biologist

    much broader term for a scientist who studies living things, not specifically nerves or the brain

Grammar Patterns

a neurobiologist who studies [topic]

become a neurobiologist

hire a neurobiologist to + verb

Usage Note

Usually refers to a researcher in a lab, university, or hospital research unit. In broader everyday use, many speakers choose the wider term 'neuroscientist', especially when the work is not mainly about biological processes.

Common Mistakes

My uncle became a neurobiologist and now treats stroke patients at the clinic.
My uncle became a neurologist and now treats stroke patients at the clinic.
a neurologist is a medical doctor, while a neurobiologist studies the nervous system as a science.
Every brain researcher is a neurobiologist.
Some brain researchers are neuroscientists from psychology or computer science, not neurobiologists.
'neurobiologist' usually suggests a biology-based study of the nervous system.

Word family

  • neurobiology
    nounC2
  • neurobiological
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A neurobiologist studies the nervous system from a biology angle, looking at nerve cells, brain tissue, development, or chemical signalling. Neuroscientist is broader: it can also include researchers from psychology, computing, or engineering who study the brain or nerves. Neurologist is different because it names a medical doctor who diagnoses and treats nervous-system diseases in patients. Biologist is broader in the other direction, covering any scientist who studies living things, from plants to insects to people. You can say 'The neurobiologist mapped how the cells sent signals,' but 'The neurologist adjusted the patient's treatment plan.'

neurobiologist ↗neuroscientist ↗neurologistbiologist ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • developmental neurobiologist
  • molecular neurobiologist
  • leading neurobiologist

Phrases

  • become a neurobiologist
  • work as a neurobiologist

Prepositions

  • neurobiologist at + university/lab
  • neurobiologist in + field

Etymology

GreekEnglish

Neurobiologist was formed in modern English from neurobiology and the ending -ist, which names a person connected with a subject or field of work. Neuro- comes from Greek neuron, meaning 'nerve', while biology comes from Greek roots meaning 'life' and 'study'. The word therefore means a person who studies the biology of the nervous system.