Professor Matthew Kiernan is a clinical neurologist and neuroscientist at the forefront of research into human neurophysiology. His pioneering work in nerve excitability techniques has produced novel insights into disease mechanisms, and based on these developments he has instituted new treatment trials. His research innovations have delineated properties of central and peripheral nerves and their susceptibility to disease. His research innovations have been translated into a cutting–‐edge diagnostic tool for clinicians in the diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease and for other neurological disease that is now recognized and implemented worldwide.