J. Walter Woodbury

J. Walter Woodbury
Born7 August 1923
Died29 November 2017
Alma materUniversity of Utah
SpouseBetty Elaine Gunderson
AwardsFellow, AAAS (1960)
Fellow, Biophysical Society (2006)
Scientific career
Institutions1943-45 Radiation Laboratory, MIT
1950-73 University of Washington
1973-93 University of Utah
Academic advisorsHenry Eyring

John Walter Woodbury (1923–2017) was an American electrophysiologist and author of the first textbook explanation of the Hodgkin-Huxley_model studies of the action potential. He applied physical and mathematical techniques to experimentally elucidate the nature of electrical excitability in cells. He was also involved in the experimental and theoretical investigations of the mechanisms of ion penetration through the ion channels in muscle membranes, the regulation of cellular acid-base balance and the control of epileptic seizures by repetitive Vagus nerve stimulation.