Dr. Michael Phelps received the prestigious Fermi Award - Honor of Enrico Fermi in 1998 for his discoveries in nuclear imaging. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and recipient of Pasarow Foundation Award (1992), the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation Award, Amer. College of Physicians (1987), The Sarah L. Poiley Memorial Award, New York Academy of Sciences (1984), Ernest O. Lawrence Presidential Award, Department of Energy (1983), The Paul Abersold Award, Society of Nuclear Medicine (1983), S. Weir Mitchell Award, American Academy of Neurology (1981), Oldendorf Award, Society for Computerized Tomography and Neurological Imaging (1980), Certificate of Excellence, Society of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism (1979), and the George von Hevesy Prize (1978, 1982). He was elected to the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences in 1986.

Dr. Phelps's research focuses on the merger of biology and imaging to provide the means to examine molecular and cellular function in tissue cultures, as well as integrated organ function in animals and humans. These biological imaging assays are developed and integrated into biology and pharmacology based problems. Autoradiographic studies of cerebral metabolism and protein synthesis are used in animals to determine brain maturation and neuronal plasticity. The anatomical expression of novel connections due to brain lesions promoting compensatory reorganization of the brain is determined by anterograde and retrograde tracing techniques, and their neurotrophic basis by in situ hybridization and gene knockout techniques. Positron emission tomography (PET) is employed to map out metabolic maturation and compensatory reorganization of the brain in children.

Dr. Phelps received his Ph.D. degree in Chemistry from the Washington University at St. Louis, MO in 1970 and a B.A. in Chemistry and Math from the Western Washington State University in1965.