Viktor Hamburger

A German scientist, Hamburger studied the origin of behavior using chick embryos, going beyond the knowledge and beliefs at the time with his discovery that chick embryos move predictably and spontaneously. In collaboration with Dr. Rita Levi-Montalcini, Hamburger identified nerve growth factor, the protein that contributes to the growth and maintenance of certain neurons. Hamburger spent most of his career as a faculty member at Washington University in St. Louis and was both an instructor and a course director in the MBL Embryology Course.