Jeffery Winer, a professor of neurobiology and a leading authority in the field of neuroanatomy, died of cancer on Dec. 9. He was 63.

Winer taught at UC Berkeley for almost 30 years before being diagnosed with cancer and being hospitalized in late October. Colleagues said he was devoted to his field and popular with students in the department of molecular and cell biology.

"He was one of the more accessible professors," said David Larue, a neurobiology research specialist who worked with Winer for 27 years. "He always had a line of students out his door, or cramming into his office. He was very generous with his time."

Mu-ming Poo, acting head of the division of neurobiology, said Winer became close with students while serving as an undergraduate adviser for neurobiology.

"He was well-loved and dedicated to teaching," Larue said. "His courses were highly subscribed by undergraduates."

In 1993, Winer was named the Claude D. Pepper neuroscience investigator by the National Institute of Health. He was also named one of Berkeley's Everyday Heroes, Larue said.

According to Larue, Winer was known not just for his work, but for spending time and effort on his students outside of the classroom. In his time at UC Berkeley, he wrote well over 150 recommendation letters for aspiring medical students and other graduate students, Larue said.

"He was just a very, very generous, thoughtful person, and a well-rounded intellectual – he knew something about every topic," Larue said.

Larue said Winer was widely known as an expert in his field.

"He was really considered one of the major figures in neuroanatomy today," he said.