Steve Ramirez (born 1988) is a neuroscientist whose professional career centers around the manipulation of the brain's physical properties. Through his work, Ramirez aims to find methods of relief for symptoms of mental health disorders through the use of optogenetics. He was born in Massachusetts to immigrant parents, where he attended high school. Ramirez's first interest in the brain developed when his cousin went into a coma due to "atrophy." Ramirez figured that it was caused through a physical reaction of tissue decay from a depleted amount of oxygen. He was curious how brains could be physically manipulated to understand their functions. He began his college education at Boston University, where he met his then girlfriend, who convinced Ramirez to try out Boston University's neuroscience program. While the pair eventually split, Ramirez developed a passion for neuroscience that sparked the beginning of his career. Although hurt, Ramirez's career was inspired by the grief of his break-up as he wondered if he could change the feelings behind those memories while keeping the memory intact. After gaining inspiration, Ramirez graduated from Boston University in 2010 and later earned his Ph.D. in Neuroscience for his work on memories in the lab of Susumu Tonegawa. Source: Wikipedia (en)