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Behind many Nobel Prize winners is a caring family providing support and making sacrifices. That’s why the win is a celebration for more than just the honoree—it’s a big, emotional moment for everyone involved. Karl Deisseroth, who just won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, knows how true this is and has video proof of the moment he broke the news to his family.
The short clip shows Deisseroth, a professor of bioengineering and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University, walking up to his daughters, 10-year-old Sophie and 13-year-old Emma, as they are getting ready for picture day at school. “There’s some exciting news,” Deisseroth begins. “Um. I just got a phone call this morning that I won the Nobel prize.”
The two girls scream and jump into his arms as the proud dad holds them. “Daddy, you’ve won all the prizes!” one of his daughters says excitedly. To which Deisseroth replies, “Well, now I can relax!”
Another video shared by Stanford University shows a wider shot of his daughter’s leap into his arms and then him relaying the news to his 16-year-old son, Hudson. The Nobel Prize also shared an image of Deisseroth preparing his kids’ breakfast as he took a break from tending to the press. The researcher later got to celebrate with his peers at Stanford’s Clark Center.
Deisseroth received the award for his work in the field of optogenetics, which has allowed researchers to reveal neural circuits that rule over specific memories, feelings, and behaviors that are connected to certain neurological and psychiatric disorders. He shares the prize with German scientists Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel. Together, they are working to unravel how the brain works.
“Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel discovered a remarkable protein, channelrhodopsin, in a single-celled alga,” the Nobel Prize explains in the announcement for the 2026 winners. “Karl Deisseroth transformed the protein into a light-controlled switch for nerve cells. The laureates have laid the foundation of a new era in neuroscience.”
Watch the moment Deisseroth revealed the news to his kids below.
Karl Deisseroth won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which he shares with Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel, for his work in the field of optogenetics.
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An adorable video shows him sharing the news with his family.
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“There’s some exciting news,” Deisseroth begins. “Um. I just got a phone call this morning that I won the Nobel prize.”
View this post on Instagram
Another video shared by Stanford University shows him relaying the news to his 16-year-old son, Hudson.
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